COLUMBIA — The new Street Crimes Unit arrested three men after finding illegal drugs, including crack cocaine, in a vehicle near Douglass Park, a Columbia Police Department news release said.
Montez D. Quinn, 18, of Columbia was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance — about one gram of crack cocaine — and a felony warrant for possession with intent to distribute. Bond is listed at $20,000 for the warrant.
Bilal H. Hill, 31, of Columbia was arrested on a felony warrant for second degree domestic assault with bond listed at $10,000; a misdemeanor warrant for third degree domestic assault with $1,000 bond; and a misdemeanor traffic warrant with $116.50 bond.
Justin E. Lewis, 22, of Columbia was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance — about 1.5 grams of crack cocaine; felony possession of a controlled substance — eight pills of Percocet; and a felony warrant for possession of a controlled substance with bond listed at $10,000.
A female occupant of the vehicle was also detained and later released without charges.
The release described the nature of the arrests:
Officers observed a parked vehicle in the park occupied by four persons. After seeing the officers, the front seat passenger appeared to conceal something under the dashboard area.
Officers confronted the occupants and noticed an odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. After further investigation, it was discovered that three of the occupants had outstanding felony warrants for their arrests.
Various amounts of illegal drugs were found in the vehicle.
Officers also found a loaded Lorcin .380 semi-automatic pistol, the release said. No charges were filed relating to the firearm, but additional charges may be sought after further investigation, the release said.
Anyone with information is encouraged to submit tips to the Crimestoppers Web site, 875tips.com.