Informant Recounts Drug Buys

A pólice informant, credited by otficers ' with making 45 "buys" of heroin with recorded bilis, testified in Circuit Court Monday about three of those purchases. Danny Baldwin appeared as a state witness in the jury trial of Willie "Meatball" Bowman of Ypsilanti Township. Bowman was one of more than 40 sus.pects arrested in recent months by members of the Washtenaw Area Narcotics Team (WANT). Baldwin was scheduled to complete his testimony today and other state witnesses are expected to follow him to the Yand U 7 r Under direct examination by Assistant Prosecutor ! Alan Freedman, on Monday, Baldwin told the jury and Circuit Court Judge William F. Ager Jr. that the Michigan State Pólice now pay his rent and give him living expenses. He said hile making heroin buys Michigan State Pólice Detective Sgt. William Burns of thé WANT squad also gave him traveling expenses as well as providing him with bilis which had serial numbers recorded. The latter funds were used to . make the narcotic buys, Baldwin testified. Once Sgt. Burns gave Mm money on Mother's Day when he wanted totake his mother out to dinner, Baldwin said. The state witness said he bought heroin from Willie Bowman on three occasions. Before each purchase Baldwin said he submitted to a "strip search" by State Pólice and also permitted his car to be searched. State officers also taped to his body a tape recorder and a transmitter before he was sent out to make the contacts with Bowman, Baldwin said. The first purchase was on April 18, 1975, when the State Pólice gave him $166 in' cash, Baldwin testified. He said he contacted Bowman at Keaton's Pool Hall in the 100 block of E. Ann Street and the defendant agreed to sell him three "spoons" of heroin for $50. Baldwin said he paid the money and received the heroin in an envelope in an alley at the rear of the Keaton Pool Hall. After the purchase Baldwin said he met Sgt. Burns in a parking lot at "menVHospital at the U-M Medical Center where the packet of heroin i was marked. The witness said he made a second purchase of heroin from Bowman 10 days later at the Wilmar House apartment house in Ypsilanti Township. He said. he met Sgt. Burns at the U-M Crisler Arena befor'e going out to make the purchase. He testified he was searched and a recorder and transmitter were hidden in his clothing. Baldwin said he laid $60 on a table in the Ypsilanti Township apartment house and. Bowman. emerged from a bedroom with envelopes which he said contained heroin. The witness said he paid Bowman the money and left. On May 12, 1975, the third purchase was made in the "Arcade" in the 100 block of E. Ann Street, Baldwin testified. He said he was given $110 in cash by the State Pólice and gave it to Bowman in exchange for several packets of heroin. At various points during Baldwin's testimony Prosecutor Freedman had Sgt. Burns open sealed envelopes and has smaller envelopes inside marked as proposed exhibits. The envelopes contain what the state contends is heroin purchaséd by Baldwin from Bowman. The prosecutor was expected to place 1 on the witness stand today laboratory experts who have examined the substance in the envelopese and are to testify about it. James A. Evashevski, Bowman's defense counsel, is expected to subject Baldwin to a rigorous cross-examination.