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A city man was taken into custody on drug and firearm charges after police executed a search warrant on his Sixth Avenue apartment Tuesday evening.
Shariff Lucas, 35, was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Paula M. Aigner on one felony count each of delivery or possession with intent to deliver and possession of firearm prohibited and one misdemeanor count each of intentional possession of a controlled substance by a person not registered and use/possession of drug paraphernalia. Unable to post $150,000 bail, Lucas was remanded to the Blair County Prison, court documents show.
The charges against Lucas came after officers executed a search warrant on his apartment on the 5000 block of Sixth Avenue in Altoona. The warrant was compiled to allow officers "to seize drugs, paraphernalia, money and firearms to include parts and ammunition," according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Officers knocked and announced themselves at Lucas's apartment door about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Lucas exited and was taken into custody without incident, police records show.
Police then began searching Lucas's apartment and found a semi-automatic pistol "that was loaded with one round in the chamber and five additional rounds in the magazine" in his bedroom between the mattress and headboard. In Lucas's closet, officers found two individually packaged plastic bags containing a white powder substance that tested positive for the presence of cocaine, according to the criminal complaint.
The police report shows that the two bags weighed a total of about 67 grams, "which holds a street value of almost $8,000" and was "much more than for personal use." Officers also found scales, blenders for mixing drugs and cutting agents.
Police records note that Lucas is a person who cannot possess firearms as he is a convicted felon.
Lucas is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 31 before Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones.