Crime & Safety
Dealer Who Stashed Crack in Crib Receives 7-Year Suspended Jail Sentence
Levesque Avenue man pleads guilty to one felony narcotics charge and also is placed on three years of probation.
A Levesque Avenue man who became the focus of a narcotics investigation after an received a suspended jail sentence Wednesday in Hartford Superior Court.
found nearly 10 ounces of crack cocaine after responding to a home invasion Feb. 28 at 78 Levesque Ave. A shot was fired as Santiago, 37, was pistol-whipped by two intruders posing as meter readers, police said.
Santiago, a former Town of Avon worker, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to sell narcotics and was given a seven-year suspended sentence. He faced up to 15 years in jail on the single charge and up to a $50,000 fine.
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Santiago, whose wife and two children were home at the time of the violent morning attack, also was placed on probation for three years and paid $20 in court costs, according to court records.
Santiago originally faced seven felony charges, including two counts of risk of injury to a child.
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Police charged Santiago in a matter of hours when about $10,000 worth of crack was discovered beneath some stuff animals in the crib. Television and radio crews arrived for what appeared to be West Hartford’s second in less than two months.
“It appears that [Santiago] is in fact a major drug trafficker,” a detective said.
The intruders, who were not caught, wore fluorescent orange garments to pose as utility workers and trick Santiago, who led the would-be drug thieves into the basement to check a meter, police said.
Police also found thousands of dollars in cash in a safe, a bottle with a substance used to dilute drugs and marijuana, according to court documents.
Investigators also suspected much of Santiago’s “high-end” personal property, including a vintage car, was acquired through drug profits.
Avon’s director of human resources said Santiago was hired for a public works job in August 2008 and resigned Jan. 3. He reportedly was receiving about $2,000 a month in state unemployment insurance.