Manchester Pair Among Nine Arrested in Hartford Drug Sting

Suspects arrested Wednesday night: Top row left to right: Kelly, Janton, Greene, Lopez. Bottom row left to right: Hairston, Williams, West, Collins. Photos courtesy of Hartford Police Department.

Two Manchester men were among nine persons arrested Wednesday night as part of an undercover narcotics surveillance operation in Hartford.

Around 9 p.m., detectives from the Hartford Police Department Vice and Narcotics units conducted an undercover operation in the area of 2620 Main Street. Detectives were able to obtain credible information that several individuals were conducting illegal drug sales from a third-floor apartment at that address, Deputy Chief Brian Foley said in a written statement.

Surveillance was established at the location, and detectives were able to arrest several drug buyers leaving the location. Detectives then obtained a search and seizure warrant for the apartment.

During the execution of this search warrant, detectives located narcotics, packaging material, and counterfeit money. Two children, ages 8 and 10, were present during the execution of the search warrant; a notification to DCF was made by Hartford detectives, Foley said.

Police seized 28 bags of crack cocaine, 27 bags of heroin, 13 bags of marijuana, $89 in cash and $150 of counterfeit money, Foley said.

Additional information was also developed that two individuals with outstanding warrants for sexual assault and human trafficking were also at this location. During the surveillance, detectives were able to identify and stop both individuals with the outstanding warrants without incident, Foley said.

Those men, Dwayne “Crash” Hairston, 31, of Windsor and Eric “Nut” Williams, 25, of Hartford, are accused of kidnapping and human trafficking of an 18-year-old girl from outside of Hartford, who had been rescued from a location in the north end of Hartford in late September. She had allegedly been held against her will for nearly a month, was trafficked sexually and repeatedly abused physically, Foley said.

Hairston is charged with first-degree kidnapping, promoting prostitution, first-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree assault, possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell and possession of a controlled substance.

Williams is charged with first-degree sexual assault, and was also charged on an outstanding child support warrant.

The Manchester men arrested were Joshua Janton, 34, who is charged with possession of narcotics, second-degree criminal trespass, interfering with police and operating a motor vehicle without a license, and Travis Kelly, 39, who is charged with possession of narcotics and possession of a controlled substance.

Kelly was also charged on a pair of outstanding warrants from Manchester as being an absconder from Connecticut parole and sixth-degree larceny.

Five other Hartford residents arrested were:

• Troy West, 43, possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell and third-degree criminal trespass
• Jeri Collins, 34, third-degree criminal trespass
• Jerome Greene, 30, possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, destruction of evidence and two counts of risk of injury to a minor
• Michelle Lopez, 31, second-degree failure to appear
• an unnamed juvenile, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell

Investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are a possibility, Foley said.