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An 18-year-old Middletown man denied dealing drugs after police found nearly one-third of a pound of marijuana in his home Saturday.

Justin Bray said the drugs were for his personal use, according to police reports.

Police were dispatched at 2:40 a.m. to Bray's home in the 1500 block of Smith Avenue on a report of people fighting and screaming.

As officers knocked, they saw numerous people inside hurrying to the back of the residence. They continued to knock for about five minutes before Bray answered the door and said he was the only one home.

Officers could smell "burnt marijuana" when Bray answered the door, according to police reports. Inside, police found numerous people hiding in the basement and back bedrooms. They called parents to pick up three juveniles found hiding in the home. Police also found a large amount of loose marijuana on the kitchen table and a Beretta handgun in a drawer.

Officers then asked Bray for permission to search his residence further. Bray agreed and officers entered his bedroom where they found a locked safe with loose marijuana on top of it.

Bray first told police the safe was not his, but then changed his story and opened it for officers. Inside they found $2,106, a .38-caliber handgun, a notebook containing monetary figures and a small plastic bag with 145 grams of marijuana.

Bray said the money was from an insurance settlement from a car accident and he purchased the handgun from a man for $200 but refused to identify the seller, according to reports.

Bray was booked into the Middletown City Jail on three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor; possession of drug paraphernalia; abusing marijuana; and underage purchase of a firearm. He was released from jail the same day after posting 10 percent of a $14,000 bond.

He was arraigned Monday in Middletown Municipal Court.