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Indians' Chris Perez charged with possession; Indians respond

Misdemeanor drug possession charges were filed against Indians closer Chris Perez and his wife, Melanie

CLEVELAND -- Misdemeanor drug possession charges have been filed against Indians closer Chris Perez and his wife, Melanie.

The complaints were served Thursday and were filed with Rocky River Municipal Court Friday morning.

The charges are the result of a search warrant served at the home the two rent in Rocky River.

The search warrant was executed afterthe packages which police say contained 163.9 grams, or 9.65 ounces, of marijuana was delivered to the home.

Both Chris Perez and his wife posted personal bond and were released.

They are scheduled for initial arraignment on June 19.

Just after 1 p.m. Friday, the Cleveland Indians issued a statement regarding the news of pitcher Chris Perez and his wife, Melanie, being processed Thursday with misdemeanor charges:

"Clearly we take these matters seriously and are disappointed whenever there is any negative attention brought to the Indians organization or one of our players," said Cleveland Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti.

"We understand and respect that there is an ongoing legal process that we will allow to evolve."

Defense attorney Terry Gilbert says the two will plead not guilty and expect a favorable outcome.

Documents released today give more details as to what led to the search of the Perez home.

A supervisor at the Rocky River Post Office contacted postal inspectors on June 1 after two Priority Mail parcels from Los Angeles to a Rocky River address smelled of marijuana.

The packages were held for investigation by the U.S Postal Inspection Service.

On June 3, a drug-sniffing dog gave a positive alert on the packages. Based on the positive alert from the K-9, a search warrant was obtained and a controlled delivery of the package was set up.

On June 4, the packages which were addressed to a Brody Baum, were delivered to the Perez home.

Investigators approached Melanie Perez, who was holding one of the couple's children in her arms at the time, according to investigative reports, and asked if the package addressed to Brody Baum was good at this address.

According to reports, Melanie Perez said the packages were for the family dog named Brody.

Melanie Perez had the packages placed on a porch.

At this point, officers said in their reports, that Chris Perez arrived at the home. He and his wife then left. A babysitter told police the couple was going to lunch and a movie.

Officers kept the home and the couple under surveillance. When investigators noticed the packages had been moved,they elected a short time later to execute the search warrant at the home, even though the couple had not yet returned.

Chris and Melanie Perez arrived home about twenty minutes after officers entered the home. They were advised a search was underway and asked if the home contained any contraband, weapons or cash.

According to a report from the Westshore Enforcement Bureau, Chris Perez volunteered he had personal use marijuana in the basement and offered to direct officers to it.

Investigators say a search of the home's basement kitchen turned up suspected marijuana, including two Mason jars of green vegetable matter, and paraphernalia.

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