From staff reports
A Detroit man is facing charges after Oil City police allegedly found him in possession of heroin during the execution of a search warrant Wednesday.
A criminal complaint filed through district judge Andrew Fish’s office said police searched a vehicle being operated by a woman who was transporting passenger James Word, 33.
The warrant was served when the vehicle arrived in Oil City from Erie, and Word was found to be in possession of 23.55 grams of heroin that was suspected by police to be fentanyl, the complaint said.
Word was arrested, and in a subsequent police interview, he admitted to possessing heroin and making multiple trips from the Detroit area, the complaint said.
He told police he had been committing the drug-related acts in order to financially aid his mother who was suffering from health issues, the complaint said.
He was arraigned before Fish and placed in the Venango County jail.
Bail was denied as Word is on probation in Michigan on prior drug charges, and he is considered a flight risk, according to online court documents.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled Wednesday in Central Court
