Drug Raid on Phoenix Ave. Last Night

The following information was provided by the Peekskill Police. It does not indicate a conviction.

Peekskill Police arrested two Peekskill residents during a drug raid at 964 Phoenix Ave. Wednesday night. The raid was a culmination of a month-long investigation into suspicious activity at that home.

At about 9:55 p.m. the Peekskill SWAT team arrived at 964 Phoenix Ave., with a search warrant, to raid the home as resident Jason Lowery, 33, was exiting the front door.

Police arrested him on the spot and found five different drugs as well as $2,100 cash on him. According to police, Lowery had the following drugs on his person:

• 29 decks of heroin
• 1 bag of crack cocaine
• 1 small bag of powder cocaine
• 9 tablets opana, an opiate pharmaceutical
• 1 small bag of marijuana

Upon further investigation, police found scales and small baggies in the home, indicating Lowery’s intent to sell the drugs.

Sherri Hunt, 49, was also home at the time and was arrested and charged with criminal nuisance, a class E felony and criminal use of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.

“Hunt is the person in control of the apartment and was charged for allowing the narcotics activity to take place in her home,” Peekskill Police Lieutenant Eric Johansen said. 

Lowery was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance (intent to sell), a Class D felony; seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor; criminal use of drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.

“Ultimately anyone who does engage in narcotics sales is arrested,” Johansen said. “We have been very aggressive and will continue to be aggressive and proactive in our efforts to combat drugs.”

Lowery has been arrested three times over the last year and a half. The same residence was raided on March 24, 2010 and Lowery was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, crack cocaine, and use of drug paraphernalia, according to Johansen. Hunt was home at the time but not charged.

“Hopefully the criminal justice system will deal with this so the neighbors do not have to deal with what is almost certainly blighting the neighborhood,” Johansen said.

Johansen said the investigation into Phoenix Ave. was launched following a few months of complaints of suspicious activity from neighbors. Neighbors reported that people were going in and out of the residence for short periods of time and that they were seeing narcotics transactions taking place on the surrounding blocks.

The Westchester County Department of Public Safety narcotics unit assisted Peekskill police with the investigation and provided a K-9 unit for the search last night.

“We have been working with them to eradicate drugs from city and they have been extremely helpful,” Johansen said.

Police encourage anyone who is affected or aware of illegal drug sales to contact the department with the information and emphasize that all information will be strictly confidential.