Police arrested a Bloomington couple Friday after one of them allegedly dealt heroin from the apartment they live in with their children.
Fitzroy Williams, 27, is charged with dealing heroin, maintaining a common nuisance and neglect of a dependent. Patonia Franklin, 26, is charged with maintaining a common nuisance, neglect of a dependent and obstruction of justice. All charges are felonies.
The arrests were made as the culmination of an investigation that began in January, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Cody Forston said. During the investigation, police conducted controlled buys of heroin from Williams.
During the investigation, four children, between the ages of 1 and 11, lived in the apartment, Forston said. Williams is the father of two of the children, and Franklin is the mother of all four.
Detectives obtained a search warrant Friday and arrested Williams as he walked from the apartment to his car. He had a small amount of marijuana and a large amount of cash in his pockets.
The detectives executed the search warrant and found pills, scales and a firearm in the apartment, Forston said. Franklin was in the apartment as well.
Police interviewed Franklin, who admitted she knew Williams had dealt marijuana in the past. The marijuana smoke in their apartment was sometimes so heavy she had to go to the bedroom and tell everyone to open windows, she said, and the drug activity took place with the children present.
Williams admitted to selling heroin but said he had hidden that activity from Franklin.
They were arrested and taken to the Monroe County Correctional Center.
Jack Evans
