NORWICH – A pair of Syracuse residents charged with multiple felony counts of drug possession will remain in the county lockup on $20,000 and $75,000 cash bail respectively following their initial court appearances.
Shinyrra K. Legrand-Thomas, 18, 254 Calthrop St., Syracuse, is charged with two counts of third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance – a class B felony – unlawful possession of marijuana and second degree criminal nuisance. Her boyfriend, Nathaniel Raheem Cosby, 37, 2312 Grant Blvd., Syracuse, faces the same charges, in addition to a misdemeanor charge of false personification. Both remain in custody with Legrand-Thomas being held on $20,000 cash bail.
City police, responding to a complaint of an odor of burning marijuana at the Howard Johnson hotel Tuesday night, say they first spoke with Legrand-Thomas in the hallway outside of her first-floor room. When asked if she’d been smoking marijuana, Legrand-Thomas at first said no. Asked again, she responded yes, according to police, although officers on the scene at the time said her story “changed several times” during questioning.
Allegedly, Legrand-Thomas also stated she was staying at the downtown hotel with her boyfriend, whom she originally identified using a false name. Police then escorted Legrand-Thomas to the couple’s room, where police say she unsuccessfully attempted to open the door using her card key, prompting Cosby, inside the room, to ask if she was alone. According to the officers, Legrand-Thomas responded she was in the company of police, following which both officers heard smashing, the sound of the toilet being repeatedly flushed and yells of “the door’s jammed, the door’s jammed” from inside the room.
Once they were able to enter the room, police officers testified in city court that the smell of marijuana was present, a number of plastic sandwich baggies were scattered throughout the room, the toilet was overflowing, the floor was soaked in water and a bathroom ceiling tile was out of place.
After questioning, both Cosby and Legrand-Thomas voluntarily signed a police consent to search form. At no time, said one officer, did Legrand-Thomas deny the room was hers.
The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 unit, which assisted in the search of the room, had multiple “hits,” said one officer, which eventually led police to search the bathroom’s ceiling and the plugged toilet. In the end, authorities found approximately 225 individually packaged baggies of heroin, three ounces of cocaine and an undisclosed amount of marijuana.
Cosby, who appeared in county court Thursday afternoon, remains in custody on $75,000 cash bail. According to Assistant District Attorney Stephen Dunshee, Cosby is a known drug dealer who has a lengthy criminal history in the Syracuse area – including 29 arrests, six convictions on five felonies and one misdemeanor and multiple charges associated with controlled substances – who came to Norwich for the sole purpose of dealing narcotics. Unfortunately, added Dunshee, Cosby decided to involve an 18-year-old girl as well.
Both Cosby and Legrand-Thomas will be arraigned in County Court at a later date.