CLEARFIELD – A Philipsburg man pleaded guilty to possessing heroin in Clearfield County Court.
Jefferson G. Hahn, 55, 1013 Hills St., Philipsburg, an inmate of the jail, pleaded guilty to nine counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and two counts of possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced by Judge Paul Cherry to nine month to two years in state prison. He was fined $12 plus costs. Due to the felony charges, he must submit to DNA testing at a cost of $250.
Prior to sentencing, his attorney, Curtis Irwin, pointed out that Hahn had been cooperative with police. He added that the heroin was for Hahn’s own personal use for pain issues. He noted that Hahn had never been in jail before and his prior criminal history included only one summary and one ungraded misdemeanor charge.
Cherry responded by stating Hahn had 60 bags of heroin and that he doubted this was for personal use.
“He’s lucky he doesn’t get nine months for each (count),” Cherry stated.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, on July 17, a police officer pulled over a vehicle driven by Hahn near Chester Hill because he had a faulty brake light. Police had suspected Hahn of illegal drug activity and the officer asked for his consent to search the vehicle.
Hahn agreed to the search stating he didn’t have anything illegal or harmful on his person or in the vehicle. Among the items removed from his pockets was a zippered pouch. When asked what was in it, Hahn replied, “Go ahead. Open it.” Inside were multiple packets of stamp bags, which are used to package heroin. When asked if the bags contained heroin, he said “you got me.” He was then taken into custody.
At the police station, he agreed to answer questions about the drugs, while claiming he used it for medical reasons. He was asked if he had any illegal narcotics at his residence and he replied that he didn’t think so. He gave officers permission to search his home.
During that search, police found 30 additional stamp bags of heroin and multiple items of drug paraphernalia.