Local Man Facing Gun, Drug Charges After Easton Bust

A man wanted for weapons and drug charges from a March drug bust in Easton was picked up and jailed Saturday, according to court records.

Curtis Clay Phillips, 23, of 6065 Sullivan Trail, was the driver of a vehicle carrying three men who, according to an arrest warrant, were in a “known drug area” of Easton trying to score heroin.

The incident happened at about midnight on March 23, and, according to court records, happened as follows:

• Easton police had Phillips' car under surveillance. It was initially parked on the unit block of S. 10th Street. The two passengers were Trent Barany and Michael Davinci.
• Davinci got out of the car and walked to the corner of 10th and Ferry streets, stood there for a time looking around and started to walk up 10th Street to Pine and Spruce streets and on the 1000 block of Lehigh Street. Davinci would use his telephone during the walk and Phillips followed closely in his car.
• At 10th and Spruce streets, Davinci apparently met up with a dealer and a transaction was made. Davinci then returned to the car, which drove off. An Easton police cruiser then made a traffic stop on the 200 block of N. 11th Street.
• During the stop, Davinci admitted to officers that he had just bought heroin and had a hypodermic needle to shoot it with. Officers also noticed one full and one piece of a torn packet of heroin on the floorboards of the car.
• Barany, Davinci and Phillips were all taken into custody. The men were all subjected to full-body searches. A full packet of heroin fell out of Phillips’ long johns while he was being searched.
• Easton police obtained a search warrant to search Phillips’ car. On March 27, police found a fully loaded Smith & Wesson .32-caliber revolver in his glove compartment with 22 extra rounds of ammunition. No one who was in the car had a license to carry a weapon.

Phillips was charged with carrying a loaded weapon, possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arraigned before on-duty of Bethlehem and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.