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January 28, 2010

Wyoming County sweep nets 18

Prosecutor: Most are street-level dealers

By Edward Lewis elewis@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
Edward Lewis on Facebook | @TLEdLewis on Twitter

TUNKHANNOCK – A volunteer fire company was turned into a makeshift command center for law enforcement authorities who arrested 18 people on drug charges on Wednesday.

Dozen charged

Arrested and charged with various drug offenses were:

Carlos O. Hernandez, 21, of Montrose;
Andrew J. Artley, 21, of Hop Bottom;
Elissia Marie Gallagher, 25, of Montrose;
Ian Marc Williams, 21, of Falls;
George Adam Steer II, 19, of Montrose;
Heather Ann Stephenson, 23, Tunkhannock;
Cameron Justin Brown, 26, Tunkhannock;
Andrew Rowker, 31, of Tunkhannock;
Bryan Sam Eberlin, 23, Laceyville;
Hugh Parkhurst, 52, Meshoppen;
Melissa Ann Finkler, 24, Springville
Daniel Buechel, 26, of Mehoopany

Wyoming County District Attorney Jeffrey Mitchell said those arrested were mostly street-level dealers involved in selling heroin, cocaine, marijuana and prescription tablets.

“Every county has a drug problem,” Mitchell said. “This is an ongoing effort for us to keep a handle on it, to try to stay on top of it. Hopefully, other people who deal will realize we’re serious on arresting and prosecuting.”

Arrest warrants were issued for 23 people with authorities capturing 18 suspected drug dealers in the early morning sweep. Two people are committed at an in-patient rehabilitation facility, six were not arraigned, and three were believed to be in other states.

After the alleged dealers were captured, they were taken to the Triton Volunteer Hose Co. in Tunkhannock, where they were processed and fingerprinted before being paraded one by one before District Judge Carl Smith in the Wyoming County Courthouse for their arraignments.

All 12 people who were arraigned were then walked over to the Wyoming County Prison, where they were jailed for lack of $15,000 bail each.

State police Trooper Martin Connors said the drug sweep was the result of a yearlong undercover investigation by the state police Vice and Narcotics Unit and Wyoming County Drug Task Force.

According to arrest records: Undercover troopers and officers purchased various amounts of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and prescription tablets from those who were arrested.

Most drug buys took place in parking lots of shopping centers and fast-food restaurants in Tunkhannock, Eaton Township, Laceyville, Nicholson Township and Washington Township.

One of the suspected dealers threatened an informant because a second person was in a vehicle without her knowledge during a drug buy, arrest records say.

Mitchell said several people were working together, while others sold illegal drugs on their own.

Authorities said they recovered a large amount of contraband left on a nightstand in the bedroom of Ian Marc Williams, 21, who resided with his parents on Post Hill Road, Falls.

Williams’ parents told authorities searching the home on Wednesday that they were concerned about their son’s drug use, arrest records say.

Preliminary hearings are scheduled on Feb. 5 in Wyoming County.