Cops: Man hid coke in underwear

TORRINGTON — A Waterbury man was arrested after being found in possession of crack cocaine and marijuana hidden in altered containers and his underwear, police said.

Charles A. Wilkerson, 36, of 332 Pine St., was arrested March 1 and charged with two counts of possession in a school zone, sale of hallucinogen/narcotic-second offense, two counts of sale of hallucinogen/narcotics and possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana.

Officers responded to a potential drug transaction on East Main Street on the evening of March 1, according to a probable cause report.

According to the testimony of a caller recounted in the report, two people had gotten into a tan SUV parked down the road from an East Main Street address, which then moved to the parking lot of the address in question, where they got out.

“Through training and experience, (o) fficers believed this activity to be consistent with a narcotics transaction taking place,” said a Torrington police officer in the report.

A tan SUV was seen leaving the premises and stopped near Winthrop and Kenney Street, within 500 feet of Torrington High School, police said. The operator, later identified as Wilkerson, told police he had sold crack cocaine to a man in the parking lot of the East Main Street address, and the drug was in the center console of the vehicle, according to the report.

Police found 4.78 grams of an off-white substance believed to be crack cocaine in the console, according to the report.

“The crack cocaine was hidden in a Mentos gum container with a ‘false bottom,’ ” said the officer. “Also found in the front seat of the vehicle was an Arizona Iced Tea can which had a removable top, most likely used to store contraband.”

“In the back seat of the vehicle (o)fficers found a Trident gum container, which had another false bottom. Within the false bottom there were 52 wax bags which cotanined (a) white powdery substance believed to be heroin.”

Police also found less than half a gram of marijuana in the vehicle, according to the report. Wilkerson was found to be carrying an additional 1.88 grams of suspected crack cocaine in the fold of his underwear.