Five arrested on drug charges in Grant Avenue raid in Glens Falls - Glens Falls Post-Star

GLENS FALLS -- Five men were arrested on drug charges Friday following a raid at a Grant Avenue home, but it was the arrests at the home that happened hours later that had police shaking their heads.

One of the five drug suspects, a friend of the home's resident, returned there to burglarize it after he was released from police custody and knew that his friend was being held on drug charges, police said.

An alert neighbor saw two men using a crowbar to pry open a door and called police, who caught the two burglary suspects leaving the home with an XBox 360 video game system, DVDs and a DVD player, Glens Falls Police Detective Sgt. Pete Casertino said.

"It was just unbelievable," Glens Falls Police Chief Will Valenza said.

Police said the drug arrests broke up a network that had been selling drugs from 24 Grant Ave. for at least several weeks. An estimated 1-1/2 ounces of crack cocaine, worth about $20,000, was seized, as was $1,000 or so in cash, police said.

The home's resident, John C. Lacroix, 26, was among those charged, and police believe he had been allowing crack cocaine dealers to use the home to sell drugs for at least several weeks.

"We've been getting complaints about that home for a while, things like noise and traffic," Valenza said. "We wanted to make sure we built a good case and sometimes that takes awhile."

Lacroix, who has a lengthy criminal record that includes multiple prior felony arrests, was charged with first-degree criminal nuisance, a felony, and first-degree loitering, a misdemeanor, Casertino said.

Also charged were:

* Richard M. Johnson, 23, of New York City, who allegedly had an ounce of crack. He faces felony and misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor loitering.

* David Johnson, 27, of New York City, who faces felony and misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor loitering.

* Absolom D. Harris, 22, of Bush Kill, Pa., charged with misdemeanor loitering and non-criminal unlawful possession of marijuana.

* Joseph P. Blondo, 26, of Bush Street, Glens Falls, charged with misdemeanor loitering.

The raid at the home occurred around 10 a.m. Blondo, who was charged for frequenting a location where drug sales took place, was released a short time later.

Around 2 p.m., Glens Falls Police got a call about a possible burglary at the 24 Grant Ave. home, and officers James Fiorini and Kyle Diamond arrived to find Blondo and James H. McIntosh, 21, of Glens Falls, hustling out of the home with arms full of electronics, authorities said.

Both were charged with felony counts of second-degree burglary and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

All six were being held pending arraignment later Friday.

Glens Falls Police were assisted by the Warren and Washington county sheriff's offices and Hudson Falls Police.