A search team tore through the wall of a Hill Section home early Friday as part of a county drug investigation after finding its front door impenetrable.
Detectives said the front door at 1330 Pine St. had a strong enough lock that the Scranton police Special Operations Group could not break it down when they went to serve a search warrant secured by Lackawanna County detectives as part of a drug investigation at about 6 a.m.
The group reconvened at another door on the home's North Irving Avenue side but found a wall had been built behind it, which they tore down.
All the while, the targets of the investigation - William Hill, 41, and Corey Barnett, 27 - ran through the home and, according to charges filed against them, tried to dump their store of cocaine down a basement toilet.
Once authorities got inside they found Mr. Hill dressed only in a T-shirt trying to get into the home's garage, which is connected to its basement.
Mr. Barnett was found hiding behind a wall in the basement, detectives said.
Behind the wall the search team broke down on its way in they found the bedroom of Mr. Hill's 15-year-old son, who was later left in a family member's custody.
The Pine Street home was condemned after the search, detectives said.
After a search of the home, investigators found a total of 46 grams of cocaine hidden in a flashlight, a pill bottle and an Apple iPhone box.
A bag with cocaine residue was found in the home's basement toilet, according to the complaint.
Both men were charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy, criminal use of a communication facility, endangering the welfare of children, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
They were each remanded to the Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail. Preliminary hearings were scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m.
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