Taunton man indicted on cocaine charges in Brockton
Cody Shepard The Enterprise @cshepard_ENT
Police said they seized seven individually wrapped plastic bags containing cocaine.
BROCKTON — A Taunton man accused of possessing cocaine inside a city hotel has been indicted on drug charges.
A Plymouth County grand jury returned indictments charging Joshua Lewis with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, as well as a subsequent offense of the same charge, indicating a previous conviction on that charge.
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The indictment stems from a search warrant that detectives executed on May 2 at the Elmcourt Hotel, at 33 West Elm St. Police said Lewis, who was the target of the narcotics investigation, was taken into custody inside the room.
During a search of the hotel room, police said they located and seized more than two grams of crack cocaine found in a dresser drawer. Police said the drugs were packaged in seven individually wrapped plastic bags.
Police also seized about $700 in cash when they executed the search warrant.
Lewis, of 17 Dartmouth St., Taunton, was charged by Brockton police with a subsequent offense of illegal possession with intent to distribute a Class B drug (cocaine).
Lewis pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Brockton District Court and Judge Mary Amrhein set his bail at $15,000.
The recent indictment moves the case from Brockton District Court to Plymouth County Superior Court in Brockton, where more serious crimes are prosecuted and penalties are more severe if defendants are convicted.
The subsequent offense indictment stems from a February 2014 case. Lewis was charged with trafficking cocaine following a drug raid at a Turner Street apartment in the city. Lewis jumped out of a second-floor window when detectives entered the apartment and was taken into custody by detectives who were outside. Police seized more than 70 grams of cocaine, as well as two illegally owned guns. Five other people were also arrested.
In August 2015, during a jury-waived trial in Brockton Superior Court, Lewis was found guilty of trafficking cocaine. He was sentenced to 3 to 5 years in state prison.
Lewis' arraignment date on the new indictments in Brockton Superior Court hadn't been scheduled as of Tuesday. He also did not have an attorney listed in his case file.
Senior reporter Cody Shepard can be reached by email at cshepard@enterprisenews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @cshepard_ENT.