Utica Police Officers Discover Drugs During Traffic Stop

Two men are facing drug charges following a traffic stop in Utica.

Officers with the Utica Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit were patrolling a Hot Spot location on James Street near Steuben Street relative to a recent shots fired call.

As they were speaking with the occupants of the vehicle, the passenger was asked to exit the vehicle due to behaviors that he was exhibiting toward the officers.

As they were having him exit, another officer noticed a large corner knot bag on the passenger floorboard containing suspected narcotics.

38-year-old Robert Cullen was then detained and the contraband was secured.

During a conversation with the driver, it was learned that he too possessed a quantity of narcotics which was located and secured by the officers.

45-year-old Penta Thomas was detained, and both parties were then transported to the Utica Police Department.

An investigator with the Special Investigations Unit responded to the station to test the narcotics and Cullen and Thomas were subsequently charged:

Cullen:

• Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd
• Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 4th
• Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 5th
• Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 7th

Thomas:

• Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd
• Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 4th
• Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 5th
• Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 7th x2

[AUTHOR'S NOTE:   This post is for informational purposes and is based largely on information received from the Utica Police Department.  The reader is reminded that all suspects and arrested persons are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.  At the time of this posting no additional information is available.]