Elyria police lead Carlisle Twp. drug, gun arrest

The Elyria Police Department and the Lorain County Sheriff's Office carried out a raid in Carlisle Township on Friday, arresting a man on drug trafficking and other charges. Deandre Epps, 35, was arrested at the home on Oberlin-Elyria Road in the township in a raid jointly carried out by Elyria police and the Lorain County Drug Task Force, a part of the Sheriff's Office. The search warrant for the home was issued "as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected drug trafficking activity," according to a release from Elyria Police Capt. Gerald Lantz. Officers found 21.9 ounces of marijuana, 6.6 grams of methamphetamine pills, three grams of psilocybin hallucinogenic mushrooms, 2.3 grams of crack cocaine, a Taurus handgun and a "substantial amount of U.S. currency." Police transported Epps to Lorain County Jail, and no bail has been set. Epps is charged with drug trafficking, drug trafficking with a juvenile specification, possession of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine and possession of psilocybin mushrooms, having weapons under disability and possessing criminal tools, all felonies. He also faces one misdemeanor charge of endangering children. According to court records, Epps has never been convicted of a felony in Lorain County Common Pleas Court, but he was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession or minor traffic offenses more than 20 times between 2009 and 2023. "This investigation highlights the commitment of the Elyria Police Department and our local partners to removing dangerous narcotics and illegally possessed weapons from our community," Police Chief James Welsh said in the release. The release said that residents can anonymously submit tips on drug-related activity at the department's Drug Tip Line at (440) 322-7264 or through the city's website at cityofelyria.org/tips.