CLEARFIELD – A former Arizona man was given a lengthy state prison sentence recently after he pleaded guilty to selling drugs in three different cases.
Matthew Thomas Marley, 42, an inmate of the jail, pleaded guilty to manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy, corruption of minors, and endangering the welfare of children in a case that was scheduled to go to a trial on July 25.
These charges stem from an incident on Sept. 29 at a motel on the Clearfield-Shawville Highway in Lawrence Township when officers found Marley in a room with methamphetamine, traces of drugs, pills, drug paraphernalia and more than $11,000 in cash. A small child was also in the room.
President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman sentenced Marley to two to five years in state prison for this case. In the two additional cases, Marely pleaded guilty to manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. For these he was given consecutive sentences of one to five years in prison and two to five years in prison. His total sentence for the three cases is five to 15 years.
During the preliminary hearing on the first case, a police officer testified that officers were at the motel to serve a warrant on another individual who was known to reside there. They checked room 227, which was registered to Danielle Yontosh of DuBois.
The officer explained at first there was no response to her knocking, but after a third series of knocks she heard a toilet flush. She admitted she thought this was because drugs were being flushed away.
She knocked again asking for Yontosh and telling her she needed to open the door. Instead a man, later identified as Marley, opened the door widely. Marley was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. A small, naked, female child was sitting up in the bed.
This caused the officers some concern initially but there were three other people in the room. Marely was later identified as the girl’s father, according to court documents. When an officer went into the bathroom she could see water on the floor from the toilet. She also saw a Bath & Body Works bag that contained needles and other drug paraphernalia.
Because of the possible drug activity and in consideration for the officers’ safety, everyone in the room was identified and searched. Marley had a cigarette package on him that contained methamphetamine.
The room was secured and a search warrant was requested. In addition, Children, Youth and Family Services was contacted regarding the child, she testified.
The adults were taken to the Lawrence Township police station and questioned.
An agent with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office and the Clearfield County Drug Task Force testified that she was notified regarding the activity of room 227. She was able to obtain a warrant and the room was searched.
An inventory list included $11,870 found in a grocery bag in a clothes basket, $238 in a jacket, multiple cell phones, a container with various pills in it, a metal container with different pills, pieces of pills, marijuana, a packet of suspected heroin, and various drug paraphernalia.
When she questioned Marley at the police station, he said he was from Arizona and had connections with a drug cartel. He met Yontosh in Arizona and they moved back to this, her home state. She knew people in this area who were in the drug business and could introduce him, he said.
According to the affidavit of probable cause in the second case, on July 28, 2015, an informant told an officer he/she could assist with the purchase of methamphetamine from Marley.
The informant said he/she had been texting Marley and also had contact with him via Facebook about the deal. The informant was able to arrange a controlled buy at Marley’s DuBois apartment where he/she purchased one gram of methamphetamine for $150.
The second purchase occurred on Aug. 18 at Marley’s residence. According to that affidavit, police met with a confidential informant who then arranged a purchase of one gram of black tar heroin from Marley for $200.
Danielle Yontosh, 43, 324 Knarr St., DuBois was also charged with manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of children and dealing in proceeds of illegal activity in this case. She signed a plea agreement and is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 9