A man who told police that he sells marijuana to support his family was arrested Monday evening after police drug unit officers served a warrant on a residence in the 3600 block of East Third Street for suspected drug sales.

Members of the Dayton Police Department Drug Unit served the warrant at 3611 E. Third St. just after 5 p.m.

Dayton Sgt. Andrew Booher said the warrant had been approved because undercover drug buys involving heroin and cocaine had been made from that address. Complaints from neighbors had been filed with police as well, Booher said.

The resident of the home, William Gibson, was arrested pending formal charges of possession of drugs and having a weapon under disability after 880 grams of marijuana, cash and a handgun were found in the home.

According to a Dayton Police incident report filed late Monday, Gibson, 37, said he, “only sells weed to help support his family and to make ends meet.” He denied selling heroin or cocaine and none was found in the home.

Gibson said the handgun found in his bedroom belongs to his mother and he was just holding on to it for her. He is not allowed to be in possession of a firearm due to prior felony convictions for aggravated burglary and carrying a concealed weapon.

As police were in the house, one of the officers was confronted by a pit bull, Booher said, and the officer shot the dog. The dog was not killed, he said. It was taken to the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center.

There were at least two juveniles present at the time of the search, Booher said, and police interviewed those juveniles Monday night to determine whether any of them were present when drugs were sold. If that was the case, more serious charges are likely to be pursued, Booher said.

Also, the address likely will be added to the city’s list of nuisance properties because drug sales were occurring at the house, Booher said.

According to police, placing the address on the nuisance properties list means the people in the house will not be allowed to come back to the address because of suspected drug sales.

Police ask citizens who have complaints about suspected drug sales and drug-related crimes to call the police department’s drug hotline at (937) 333-DRUGS.