A major drug bust conducted throughout Blair County yesterday has tangled 47 suspects in the legal system, including several from the Tyrone area.
In addition to Tyrone residents, two other people arrested are suspected to have been involved in drug dealing in the Tyrone area.
At least 100 law enforcement officials took part in the investigation and actual arrests. Officials are describing many of those arrested as street level heroin users and dealers.
The Blair County Drug Task Force, the district attorney’s office and other law enforcement officials announced the information at a morning press conference held at the Frankstown Armory. The location was also used to process the suspects, and they were then arraigned before two district justices, Kenneth Garmen and Todd Kelly.
Officials indicated the county’s “Push Out The Pushers” drug hotline played a key role in the investigation and eventual arrests.
Task Force agent, Randy Feathers, said on a normal day, the hotline receives about three to five calls, but after a bust like yesterday, the number goes up to about 15 a day.
Feathers indicated the arrests yesterday were the culmination of an investigation that’s been going on for months.
“There were a lot of investigations going into one,” said Feathers. “We did one operation today, arresting a lot of different people from separate investigations. The Tyrone investigation has probably been going on for about two to three months.”
Feathers said all municipalities in Blair County were involved in the investigation, along with the Huntingdon and Centre County drug task forces, Altoona Hospital and the Pennsylvania Emergency Police.
“I do not know the exact amount of money that was spent (to make drug buys),” said Feathers. “I do know we seized about $1,000 in heroin today. The Tyrone investigation involved mostly the purchasing of smaller amounts of heroin.
“It was possibly the biggest raid so far this year,” Feathers told The Daily Herald. “We may have had bigger ones in the past, but as far as numbers are concerned, it’s the biggest of the year.
“We are continually doing investigations,” said Feathers. “Using the Tyrone police as an example and Chief (Joseph) Beachem, the cooperation we get from local police departments is unmatched throughout the state, and we expect that to continue.”
Those from the Tyrone area include:
• Lindsey Wills, 755 Washington Ave.; three counts possession, three counts delivery, and three counts criminal use a of communication facility/heroin;
• Melody Frank, 2 West 11th St., Tyrone. She was accused of dealing marijuana in Tyrone and is being charged with one count of delivery and one count of marijuana;
• Sarah J. Leeper, 527 North 16th St.; one count delivery, one count possession, one count criminal conspiracy/morphine/heroin;
• Tammala Ann Mills, 1310 Blair Ave.; one count delivery, one count possession, one count of criminal conspiracy, two counts criminal use of communications facility, all related to heroin;
• Jason Lynn Beckwith, 104 E. 13th St.; one count delivery, one count possession/heroin;
• Justin M. Frank, 1358 Logan Ave., Apt. 4; one count paraphernalia;
• Stephen Krug, no address listed; one count delivery, one count possession, heroin; and
• Samantha J. Miller, 1358 Blair Ave.; one count delivery, one count possession, one count criminal use of a communication facility/heroin.
As of yesterday afternoon, Melody Frank, Leeper and Mills were in custody. Feathers confirmed Justin Frank was in custody as of this morning.
He also said Ernest Roe and Kathlene Roe, both from Altoona, were charged with dealing heroin. Some of the activity was said to have happened in the Tyrone area.
Most of the other arrests centered around drug activity in the Altoona area. Most of those arrested were being lodged in the Blair County Prison, according to Feathers.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled for June 25.
