Informant leads cop to drug busts

"A confidential informant working for the Oak Harbor Police Department found it easy to buy crack cocaine and methamphetamines in the city.Two of the people who allegedly sold drugs to the informant over the last couple months are now facing felony charges that come with potential prison time in Island County Superior Court.Lafarro Williams, 21, of Oak Harbor was charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine Nov. 15.Audrey Meredith, 48, of Oak Harbor was charged on the same day with maintaining a building for the use of a controlled substance.Both Williams and Meredith pleaded not guilty to the charges Nov. 17.The informant was working off pending felony charges by buying drugs from suspected dealers with cash from the police, Sgt. Tim Sterkel wrote in court papers.The informant, Sterkel wrote, was strip searched before and after the 14 controlled drug buys over 45 days. The buys allowed police to get five drug-related search warrants for homes in and on the outskirts of Oak Harbor. The warrants were served in a drug raid Nov. 12.Sterkel wrote that police found three large pieces of crack cocaine, a loaded .45 caliber Glock and $1,280 in cash in Williams' car parked next to his house on Silver Lake Road. In addition, inside the house he found $1,401 in cash in a shoe.In a separate affidavit, Sterkel wrote that the informant bought meth from another person in Meredith's home and also bought crack from her.A conviction could mean well over a year in prison for both Williams and Meredith. "

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