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Woman, 70, Hid Crack Under Couch, Police Say

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By VALERIE KALFRIN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 9, 2007

TAMPA - Seventy-year-old Birdie Jean Glanton sat on more than just couch cushions Wednesday while police officers searched her North 35th Street home.

Underneath her was a stash of crack cocaine, police said.
Tampa police on Wednesday arrested Glanton, seven other adults and four 17-year-olds after searching the house at 4507 N. 35th St. under a warrant related to drug complaints.

Although police charged Glanton and the other adults with felony possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, investigators do not think she is a drug dealer.

Rather, it appears the others supply her with alcohol for use of the house, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

"They've kind of taken over the house," Davis said Thursday. "It looks like she just looks the other way."

Glanton was held on $5,000 bail at Orient Road Jail on Thursday afternoon. She is also charged with felony possession of cocaine, felony possession of marijuana, felony possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a church, felony possession of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school and felony delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school.

Glanton declined a request for an interview through the jail. Public records could not locate any relatives for her. No neighbors answered their doors Thursday afternoon.

She has no criminal record in the state, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Officers from a street anti-crime unit, a street-level narcotics unit and a gang unit responded to the house about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday for the search.

They found 59 grams of marijuana and 25.2 grams of crack cocaine throughout the house, including under the cushions where Glanton sat, police reports show.

"She was trying to hide the cocaine," Davis said.

Officers also seized $2,266 in cash, two pistols and a shotgun. They found one of the firearms in the kitchen sink with the water running, Davis said.

Police began investigating the house after receiving a complaint through the city's online message center that there was drug activity there, Davis said.

The house is down the street from Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and roughly two blocks from Potter Elementary School, police said.

Booking information was unavailable on the juveniles arrested.

Jail records show the other adults arrested with Glanton are all from Tampa and were booked on similar charges. They are Mario Baker, 25, free on $42,000 bail; Keith D. Gay, 28, held on $49,500 bail; Shana Hamilton, 28, held on $41,500 bail; Michael J. Myers, 25, held on $58,500 bail; Luis Pandales, 22, held on $10,000 bail; Johnny Sanders, 53, held on $42,000 bail; and Marlon Stewart, 25, held on $49,000 bail.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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