Cree Butcher Arrested After Drug Investigation Prompts Hazmat Response In Southeast Denver
DENVER (CBS4) - A 24-year-old is under arrest and being held on a drug charge after an extensive police operation on Wednesday in which some officers donned hazmat suits before entering a southeast Denver apartment. It happened at the Summit Ridge apartment building at 8330 Quincy Avenue near Interstate 225, and a Denver police spokesman identified Cree Butcher as the person who is under arrest.
Denver police and firefighters responded to the scene on a report of a drug operation in the afternoon. A SWAT team entered the building, and a neighbor showed CBS4 video of that team in the hallway next to the apartment where the suspect, or suspects, were.
"Yelling, commanding the people inside the apartment to come out. They yelled the commands several, several times and then used a battering ram. It took three swings to break that door down," said the man.
After the device was used to break down the door, the team continued to demand the people inside to come out. The neighbor said a man in his 20s and a young woman came out and were escorted outside by officers.
The crew apparently found possible hazardous materials inside and that's when the hazmat-suit wearing officers moved into the apartment. An investigation at the building continued until the evening.
DPD said Butcher was arrested on a warrant and is being held for investigation of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.