Police Raid Daycare And Find Crack, Money, Sex Toys And Porn

The state Department of Public Welfare will decide whether to suspend or revoke the license of a Homewood day care owner who police said dealt crack cocaine from her office during operating hours and kept sex toys in a closet alongside children’s playthings.

Police said Ranell T. Booker, 51, of Cheswick, also supplied drugs to some street-level dealers. She was charged Friday with drug possession, possession with intent to deliver and prohibited acts and could face additional charges.

Narcotics detectives arrived at R&B Childcare Services, a converted house at 579 Rosedale St., just before 7 a.m. with a search warrant. They said they found 16 “large chunks” of crack cocaine, worth about $6,000, digital scales and more than $4,400 in cash inside Ms. Booker’s office.

“Our investigation found people would come to the day care and buy from her during day care hours,” narcotics Lt. William Mathias said. The drug operation was mostly hidden, but “people who were buying knew to come there, to ask for her and go back to her office.”

Sex toys were kept in bags in a closet off of a room where children played.

Lt. Mathias wouldn’t say how detectives learned the center was a drug front, only that it had been on their radar for about three weeks. No children were at the center Friday morning, but police said about 10 or 15 normally attend.

“It’s very disturbing that innocent children should be subjected to those types of adult activity when they are coming there to be protected,” said police spokeswoman Diane Richard, who encouraged parents to contact police if they have concerns.

The welfare department said R&B was initially licensed in October 2001 as a “group child care home,” which handles seven to 12 children. Its license was upgraded in August 2008 to a “child care center,” allowing it to care for more.

The agency had on file just one verified complaint about R&B, received in May 2008, when the day care violated the state’s staff-to-child ratio, which was quickly righted, department spokesman Michael Race said.

The welfare department will investigate and can take action by suspending or revoking R&B’s license. It can also shutter the facility, which was closed, at least temporarily, Friday afternoon.