By Josh Williams
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MUNICIPAL DISTRICT — A Harlem woman pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that she used a day care as a marijuana stash house.
Akwasiba Radellant, 36, the day care owner, was arrested on March 7, 2008 for criminal possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child.
But she says she was not aware of the existence of the three pounds of marijuana found at her West 142nd Street and Eighth Avenue apartment, where the day care was located.
Radellant was arrested after an undercover NYPD detective disguised as a pizza deliveryman watched an informant buy marijuana from a drug dealer at the Harlem day care, court documents show.
NYPD Detective Jugoni Rosado and his fellow officers reported that a 3-month-old baby was at the day care during the bust. Rosado testified that the stash of high-end marijuana mingled under the sink with pacifiers and Palmolive.
Radellant, who was not present at the time of the bust, was arrested when she showed up following a call from a babysitter who was in the apartment at the time.
“After questioning her, she said she was doing it [storing the marijuana] as a favor and it caught me by surprise and I thought, 'oh boy,'” testified Rosado. Radellant is now denying that she knew the drugs were there.
Outside of court Radellant fled photographers, saying to a court officer, "Arrest him, he is harassing me."
Testimony will resume on Friday and the jury is expected to begin deliberation on Monday.
