A man led Gaston police back to a house where crack was cooking when he told officers he had a key following a suspicious activity call.

The reputed admission by Amos Crocker Johnson Jr. led the Gaston man to be charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver crack cocaine, felony possession of cocaine, manufacturing cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting a public officer and felony maintaining a dwelling to keep a controlled substance.

The events began when Gaston police received a call of suspicious activity in the 200 block of Highway 46 shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday, Detective W.T. Smith said.

When Smith arrived the panic alarm of a Ford truck was set off, most likely by a scramble to press the unlock button and the detective saw two men scrambling for the wood line.

Johnson, of Tinsley Way in the Gaston housing projects, was apprehended and it was discovered he had three cell phones on him. Smith said Johnson told him a man named Earl, who was later identified as Earl Stanley Hockaday Jr., had given him the keys.

The stove.

Smith called for backup and Deputy Patrick Jacobs of the Northampton County Sheriff's Office arrived and they entered the house to find the kitchen was hot and the stove on. Seaboard Police Chief George Reid assisted and the officers found a knife on the floor and a plate with an off-white substance later identified as crack cocaine. There was also an open box of baking soda, bottles of ice water to cool the concoction, scales, plastic bags and crack on the floor. Latex gloves were found with an off-white residue on them.

As investigation continued, Smith said officers discovered Johnson was on probation in Halifax County for felony possession of marijuana.

Johnson was jailed on $30,000 bond and has a September 8 court date. Hockaday will be charged with conspiracy to manufacture cocaine and police continue to look for the second person who fled the house.

The house, described as cook house by Smith, has ben under investigation the last two years.