SOUTH CAROLINA — A Mount Pleasant man and woman were arrested Tuesday afternoon in North Charleston after police said officers found suspected cocaine, needles and a loaded handgun inside a vehicle parked near an abandoned building.
According to the North Charleston Police Department, officers with South Evening Team 1 were patrolling the Delaware Avenue area in the Union Heights community around 4:30 p.m. when they noticed a suspicious vehicle parked in an open lot beside a building that had generated multiple complaints of criminal activity.
Police said officers observed a woman outside the vehicle picking items up from the ground before approaching the vehicle on foot. The driver, identified as Joseph Collin Argenio, exited the vehicle and attempted to distance himself from officers, according to a police report.
Investigators said Argenio gave inconsistent statements about a nearby house, initially saying he did not own it before later claiming it belonged to a friend. Officers also noticed a power cord running from inside the house through a window to a computer inside the vehicle.
Police detained Argenio and a passenger, identified as 37-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Williams. Officers said both individuals showed signs consistent with drug use.
During the investigation, officers reportedly spotted a small bag of white powder on the vehicle’s center console that later tested presumptive positive for cocaine. Police also found three insulin needles in Argenio’s pocket during a search, according to the report.
Williams consented to a search, and officers said they located a small amount of suspected crack cocaine on her. Additional suspected crack cocaine was later discovered inside a backpack in the vehicle, police said.
Investigators also reported finding a loaded handgun on the dashboard along with a bag containing matching ammunition.
A background check revealed Argenio has prior felony convictions, according to police.
Argenio was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of cocaine and cocaine base. Williams was charged with possession of cocaine base.
Both were booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center, authorities said.
