Rent Notice Turns into Drug Investigation

A Forest Park woman was charged with resisting arrest April 12 after a police escort to help a landlord serve rent notice turned into a resident's hysterical yelling over alleged marijuana use.

Police were asked to escort a landlord in the 400 block of Harlem while he served a five-day notice or non-payment of rent. When police arrived, they could smell marijuana at the door. The landlord said tenants had previously reported the constant smell of marijuana. 

Gregory E. Stanton, 30, of Berkley, opened the door, and police said the smell of weed became stronger. The tenant, Brashinda M. Young, 27, gathered about $800 in cash, most of which was $10 or $20 bills.

Because of the smell of marijuana and the small cash denominations, police suspected the two people were involved in drug dealing. Police said Stanton refused to provide his name, and both people denied any drugs in the apartment. 

Stanton later told police he had smoked a blunt, then asked police if they would need a warrant to search the apartment, which they did. 

Meanwhile, Young said she was going to call her lawyer and began to look for her phone, yelling "at no one in particular." Police said they feared she would retrieve a weapon and began to follow her when Stanton stepped in the officer's way and yelled to Young to lock the bedroom door. 

Stanton was cuffed, and police tried to restrain Young, who continued to resist. She was on the phone yelling that someone was in her apartment pretending to be the police. Young was eventually restrained and she and Stanton were brought in for questioning. 

By that time, the landlord returned home and there was no key available to the apartment, so a search wasn't conducted. 

Police said Stanton was charged with obstructing justice and was given a May 21 court date. Young was charged with three counts of resisting arrest, and was also given a May 21 court date.

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