2 charged in raid

REPRINTED COURTESY OF THE SENTINEL

By Sentinel Staff Reporter, September 10, 2006

A New York City man was arrested on drug charges Saturday afternoon after police raided a Carlisle house.

Michael K. Willis, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y., allegedly jumped from a second-floor window to try to get away when police arrived at the house in the 100 block of East Louther Street at 4:35 p.m.

He was charged with possessing drugs with intent to deliver.

Police found half an ounce of crack cocaine packaged for sale, and confiscated more than $1,600 in cash from Willis and Erika Colon, 19, of Orlando, Fla.

Colon was charged with providing false identification to police.

Both were arraigned Saturday evening.

Residents not charged

Carlisle Mayor Kirk Wilson says the house had little furniture inside but attracted “a great deal of vehicular and foot traffic ... day and night. In my mind, that building was serving no other purpose than a drug house.”

The people who lease it were not there at the time and aren’t being charged, Wilson says.

The property owner also is not charged, the mayor says.

Wilson says narcotics officers had the house staked out for two months to get enough evidence for a search warrant. Wilson says investigators had concluded “that persons frequenting the residence were known to be armed.”

Grenades used

The Carlisle-Cumberland County Special Response Team surrounded the building and broke in.

When police left, some neighbors applauded, Wilson says.

“A decision was made to use the SRT team for the safety of police officers, as well as anyone who would be in the house,” the mayor says.

“The element of surprise and the use of ‘flash bangs’ (nonlethal grenades) startle the occupants of the building and increase police efficiency in apprehending suspects.”