Homewood drug bust nets crack, heroin, firearms; 6 arrested
Pittsburgh police arrested six people and seized eight firearms Wednesday in Homewood during a drug bust that grew out of surveillance in the neighborhood following recent violence in the area.
During about the past two weeks, nine people have been shot and at least three killed in the area around Brushton Avenue in Homewood, according to police.
The recent surge in violence is believed to be driven by drug sales, according to criminal complaints filed in the case.
Wednesday night, officers and detectives from Zones 5 and 2, as well as detectives from the police bureau’s intelligence unit, set up surveillance on two or three locations they believed to be connected to the violence, Zone 5 Cmdr. Jason Lando said.
“Through doing backgrounds, research, talking to people in the neighborhood, they were able to come up with some locations where this violence was stemming from,” he said.
One team was watching a home at 7929 Tacoma St. about 9:45 p.m. when it saw a suspicious vehicle pull away, accordingto court records.
The officers pulled over the vehicle for failure to signal. Inside, they discovered Brandy Smith, 26, of Butler, with a loaded revolver hanging around her neck in a holster. She disclosed the gun to police, but did not have a concealed carry permit. She was also carrying 250 stamp bags of heroin and three sandwich bags filled with what officers believed to be crack cocaine, accordingto court records.
Additionally, Timothy Bazemore, 26, of Knoxville, who was riding in the back seat of the car, was found to be carrying $1,195 in cash, according to court records. The car’s driver, Billie Henry, 43, of Butler County, was carrying three crack pipes, according to police.
Ms. Henry was issued a summons and released. Ms. Smith was arrested on drug and gun charges.
Bazemore, who has a lengthy violent criminal history in Pittsburgh, also was arrested, according to police, but they did not provide any specific charges, and his arrest did not appear on the online criminal court database as of Thursday afternoon.
After stopping the car, officers visited the home on Tacoma Street and observed guns and drugs in plain sight. They obtained a search warrant and found seven firearms, including a .50-caliber rifle, two stolen weapons and a gun with an obliterated serial number.
Police also recovered crack cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana, Ecstasy, Xanax and drug packaging materials, accordingto court records.
Three people in the home were arrested: Todd Elston, 32, of Homewood; Anastacia Benedict, 30, of Homewood; and Joshua Herald, 29, address unknown.
Elston was charged with 16 felonies and six misdemeanor drug charges. Herald was charged with a single misdemeanor. The charges against Ms. Benedict were not listed in court records on Thursday.
All of the seized firearms are being tested to see whether they match with any crimes, Cmdr. Lando said. He credited the bust to teamwork across the police department.
“We’re always happy when we can take drugs off the street, but more importantly firearms,” he said. “They have a very serious impact on our neighborhoods.”