A home owned by Sandra S. Paese in Snyder Township has been forfeited to the Blair County District Attorney’s office as part of a proactive measure being used in the fight against drugs in the area.
Last week, Blair County Senior Judge Thomas G. Peoples issued the order that granted a forfeiture and condemnation petition filed by Special Assistant District Attorney Douglas J. Keating regarding Paese’s home at 2 Oak Hill Lane.
District Attorney Richard Consiglio took office in January and decided to be aggressive in the forfeiture of property and money that drug dealers use in their activities, according to a press release from his office.
At a press conference after an April drug bust, Chief Deputy Assistant DA Jackie Bernard mentioned the proactive measures the DA’s office is using in the fight against drugs.
At the time she said, “The Blair County District Attorney’s office has houses including one in Tyrone that are being seized. DA Consiglio has made it one of his projects to step up the forfeiture (of property).
“One way that we do that is to look for drug dealers that have property and are using their property to deal their drugs or are buying property from the proceeds from the drug profits,” said Bernard.
Bernard said property is also seized in the form of cash and vehicles in some cases. Paese’s house was one of the three mentioned by Bernard.
In March of this year, Keating had filed a court action seizing Paese’ property. Paese owned and lived at the residence during late 2005 and 2006 and used the property to facilitate the commission of several drug deals according to Attorney Keating.
Judge Peoples granted Keating’s petition last week during a hearing in which Paese contested the claim.
According to a press release from his office, DA Consiglio commended Tyrone Borough Police Chief Joseph Beachem, officer Andrew Christ, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Blair County Drug Task Force for their efforts in the investigation involving Paese.
“This is a perfect example of law enforcement working together to better our community,” said Consiglio.
The district attorney said that after the sale of the Paese property, he will seek a court order allowing the funds from the sale to be transferred to the DA’s office and the Attorney General’s office drug funds.
The press release said the net proceeds after the sale of the property are expected to be about $40,000. Under the law, any money from the sale of the property must be used to investigate future drug activity in the county.
“With efforts such as these forfeiture petitions, my office will not only be punishing drug dealers, but we will be using their profits against them,” said Consiglio.
The press release noted Consiglio plans to bring additional forfeiture petitions regarding homes before Blair County Court in the near future.
