CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man who hid drugs in his mouth when he was taken to the county jail, pleaded guilty to felony contraband charges Friday during sentencing court.
Richard Danny Celinski, 51, was sentenced to serve 18 months to three years in state prison for possession of a controlled substance/contraband and flight to avoid apprehension by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman.
The charges stem from an incident on Feb. 4, 2024 in Clearfield Borough when police arrived at a residence where Celinski, who had a warrant, was staying in a garage.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police knocked on the door and heard a male individual speak from inside. The officer could not understand what he said so he knocked again. The man inside said something again that could not be understood. The officer than asked if he was Richard Celinski, and the man said no.
Officers then spoke with the owner who unlocked the garage and allowed them to enter it. Commands were made for Celinski to come out. They then searched the garage and eventually located Celinski hiding in the corner of the building behind a lawn tractor.
He was ordered to show his hands and come out. Celinski complied. When he was searched, police found a small glass pipe with burnt residue in his jacket pocket. He was taken into custody and placed into the police car. An officer advised him that if he had anything else hidden on him and he took it to the jail, it would be a felony offense.
Celinski was advised again before he was taken into the jail that if he had any contraband on him, and he took it into the jail he would be charged with a felony. Celinski responded with “explicit statements”, the officer wrote in the report.
As the corrections officers searched Celinski, they discovered a small, yellow bag, “located in Celinski’s upper lip.” He was ordered to spit it out and he was taken to the ground with an officer holding Celinski’s jaw to try to keep him from chewing it up and swallowing it. Celinski then spit it out, claiming it was gum.
One of the CO’s picked the package up and opened it to find a fine, white powder. It was later identified as fentanyl.
In a second case, Celinski pleaded guilty to misdemeanor defiant trespass and was given a concurrent sentence of 30 days to one year in state prison.
