Crime & Safety
Cops: Hiding Place for 9 Small Bags of Crack: His Mouth
Police said a drug dealer stuffed small bags of crack cocaine in his mouth which affected his speech and made them more suspicious.
"I got nothing!" Roderick Ford shouted to police driving past him late Monday afternoon on the South Main Street side of Ryan Park in South Norwalk, according to a police report.
Norwalk police gave this account (an accusation not proven in court) of what happened next:
Police decided to stop and speak with Ford. They found the 50-year-old, a resident of the homeless shelter at 4 Merritt St. in South Norwalk, was sweating, stuttering and randomly grabbing his pockets.
Police described his behavior as "sporadic" and "jumpy." They suspected he was under the influence of some kind of narcotic.
And his speach was muffled and slurred. Police asked him to open his mouth, and noticed he appeared to be trying to swallow something.
Ford eventually spit out nine small plastic bags, each containing crack cocaine.
He was charged with selling narcotics, sale of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school, possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school and interfering with an officer.
Ford was held on $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear Oct. 11 in state Superior Court in Norwalk.
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