Drugs seized in raid on city hotel

By Alex Bridges -- abridges@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- A Virginia Beach man was arrested after city police seized drugs and paraphernalia during a Monday search of a room at the George Washington Hotel.

Authorities arrested John C. Greene, 32, of Virginia Beach, on a charge of possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, according to Lt. Wally Stotlemyer, of the Winchester Police Department. Greene was dealing heroin in the area and stayed at the downtown hotel while visiting friends, Stotlemyer said Tuesday.

Greene was taken to the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center where he was held on a $10,000 secured bond, according to Stotlemyer.

The Northwest Regional Drug and Gang Task Force assisted city police and Frederick County Sheriff's Office in the operation.

Authorities sought a warrant to search Room 518 of the hotel related to charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute drugs, according to an affidavit filed in Winchester Circuit Court on Tuesday. Officers executed the search warrant early Monday evening.

A confidential informant contacted Sgt. B.A. Kittoe, of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, by phone on Monday and advised the officer that a white male by the name of "John" was selling heroin -- both powder and "tar" -- from the room, according to the affidavit filed for the search warrant.

The informant told Kittoe that the suspect had 8 grams of powder heroin and 6 grams of tar heroin, the affidavit states. The suspect was selling the powder heroin for $100 per gram and the tar variety for $250 per gram, according to the affidavit.

The informant "advised Sgt. Kittoe that he/she personally saw the heroin in room 518 of The George Washington Hotel," the affidavit states. "All of the above activity occurred within the past 24 hours."

Officers seized a plastic bag containing a white powder substance, aluminum foil containing a "tar-like" substance, a syringe, a note pad with four names and telephone numbers, a Boost mobile cell phone and charger, and a box of aluminum foil, according to the search inventory filed with the affidavit.