HARRISBURG – Attorney General Tom Corbett has announced that agents from the Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, along with local officers from Indiana County, are in the process of arresting 16 suspected drug dealers who have been identified in an ongoing heroin trafficking investigation.
Corbett said today’s arrests are part of an ongoing effort to identify individuals involved in the distribution and sale of heroin in communities throughout Indiana and surrounding counties.
“The mass marketing of cheap and powerful heroin is having a dramatic impact on small towns and mid-size cities all across Pennsylvania, “Corbett said, “fueling addiction and also driving an increase in other criminal activity in small towns and mid-size cities across the state – including burglaries, retail theft, robberies and drug-related violence.”
Corbett said the 16 mid to upper level drug dealers being arrested today were identified using undercover operations and confidential informants. Drug purchases made from these suspects as part of the investigation included 481 stamp bags of heroin, valued at nearly $10,000, along with small amounts of crack cocaine and prescription pain medications.
Corbett noted that today’s arrests are the second major wave of drug cases to emerge from an ongoing cooperative probe into heroin trafficking in and around Indiana County.
“In May of this year, we charged 30 people, including a large number of young adults, in connection with the street-level sale of heroin,” Corbett said. “Our goal in all drug trafficking investigations is to directly attack the problem on the streets, along with disrupting the drug distribution chain and identifying individuals and sources involved in the movement and sale of larger quantities of drugs.”
Corbett said that in addition to today’s 16 arrests and the 30 dealers charged during the May 2010 operation, state narcotics agents and local officers have also executed a series of search warrants over the past several months. Those searches resulting in the arrest of another ten suspects, along with the seizure of $66,000 in cash; 1,710 stamp bags of heroin, with a street value of more than $34,000; nearly 200 grams of crack cocaine, with a street value of approximately $20,000; 22 rifles; six handguns and one vehicle.
Corbett said that investigators believe much of the heroin being distributed in Indiana County is originating from sources in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties. Efforts to identify those heroin suppliers, along with dealers operating in and around Indiana County, are ongoing.
Corbett thanked the following agencies and police departments for their cooperation and assistance in this continuing investigation: The Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, the Blairsville Police Department, the Cherry Tree Police Department, the Homer City Police Department, the Indiana Borough Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police (Indiana).
Corbett also thanked the Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, along with the Lawrence Township Police Department (Clearfield County) and the Pennsylvania State Police (Punxsutawney), for their support and assistance.
Corbett said the defendants will be prosecuted in Indiana and Clearfield counties by the Indiana and Clearfield County District Attorney’s Offices.
The following is a list of the defendants, along with the charges filed against them:
Nicole Lynne Brown, 24, 517 Pine St., Johnstown, is charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.
Daniel Lee Bugay, 23, 2 Winding Lane, Indiana, is charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility.
William P. Davis Jr., 48, 550 Clarion Road, Cherry Tree, is charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.
Larry N. Dunlap, 36, 203 West Elm St., Homer City, is charged with two counts of criminal use of a communications facility; two counts of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance; one count of possession of a controlled substance; and one count of possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.
Stephanie Irene Elliot, 20, House 15 4th St., Lucememines, is charged with one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of criminal use of a communications facility.
Robert Neal Fiasco, 32, 41 West Pine St., Mahaffey, is charged with four counts of delivery of a controlled substance, four counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, five counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of criminal use of a communications facility and one count of persons not to possess, use of control firearms.
Anthony Ray Findley, 25, 5557 Rt. 580 Highway, Cherry Tree, is charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of as communications facility.
Jamie Lee Hoffman, 23, 2604 Bigler Ave., Northern Cambria, is charged with one count of delivery of a controlled substance.
Richard A. Koche, 49, 337 Livermore Road, Blairsville, is charged with two counts each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility.
Amber Marie Legros, 23, 131 North Main St., Cherry Tree, is charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy and criminal use of a communications facility.
Autumn Dawn McClellan, 24, 665 Hood School Road, Indiana, is charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy and criminal use of a communications facility.
Brittany Anne McCune, 20, 534 Old William Penn Highway, Blairsville, is charged with one count each of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility.
Jacquelyn Christine Mehalic, 21, 214 East Elm St., Homer City, is charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility.
Jason Rabatin, 35, 41 North Main St., Cherry Tree, is charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal conspiracy.
John David Szentmiklosi, 24, 81 Catherine St., Homer City, is charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
Todd Richard Tiger, 31, 309 Almond St., Northern Cambria, is charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy.
