NORWOOD, Ohio – An early-morning drug bust just two blocks from an elementary school alarmed residents here Tuesday.
Norwood police said they took a man in custody just before 6 a.m. from a home in the 5300 block of Globe Avenue. Drug arrests in this neighborhood are nothing new, residents say, but this one – near Norwood View Elementary - struck them as too close to home.
"Oh my gosh, it makes me sick to my stomach," said Nichole Beach. "Very devastating to know that my kid is two blocks away from a drug bust. Even them coming out of school or just them getting a hold of something that might kill them."
Dave Tincher said he noticed a dramatic change in the neighborhood about two years ago. He said drugs have literally popped up in his own yard.
"The other day somebody right in front of my house picked up a hypodermic needle aand made me aware of it," Tincher said. "We've had people OD right near our house in the last six months."
Kara Johnson, whose two children go to school at Norwood View, said the drug issue needs to be addressed and soon.
"Many years ago they acted like it wasn't here, but it was, you know, and it's becoming a reality and people need to deal with it," Johnson said. "Whether it's the addiction or they sell drugs, I just feel like there's more that needs to be done and everything's just coming out to light now."
Beach said she wants stiffer penalties for drug dealers and users.
"They have to lock them away to keep our community safe and our children safe, that's what has to be done," she said.
Police have not named the suspect or said if they removed drugs from the home.
