FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. (KDKA) – It all started when a woman’s boyfriend was cooking with grease on the stove and accidentally started a fire, it ended with her being taken away in handcuffs.

When firefighters responded to a house on Stewart Avenue in Uniontown, smoke was coming out of the windows and flames could be seen inside the kitchen.

But it was after the fire was out that police realized there was more going on in the house than a kitchen fire.

“While police assisted firemen on scene, one of the officers noticed some drug paraphernalia outside on the sidewalk, additional paraphernalia was located on the porch,” Uniontown Police Detective Donald Gmitter said.

The specifically noticed plastic bags with the corners trimmed off, suggesting there may be drugs inside.

Police then got a warrant and searched the home.

“They found seven individually packaged bags of marijuana, a firearm, stolen laptop and some other items,” Gmitter said.

The gun was a 22-caliber AR15 rifle.

It was owned legally by the woman’s boyfriend, but was seized because of the drugs.

The woman, 26-year old Latisha Bryant was taken into custody. Her boyfriend was not charged.

“Eventually she may have been caught,” Gmitter said. “But it wasn’t lucky for her that the house was on fire and the police officers — doing their job — located the items and executed a search warrant, finding the additional items.”

Gmitter praised his fellow officers for making the arrest.

“It was very good police work on the first responding officers to be observant of the paraphernalia that was laying around,” Gmitter said. “And then take the investigation a little bit further.”

Bryant is facing possession with intent to deliver and some related charges. She is being held in the Fayette County Jail.

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