An 18-year-old student was escorted from the Tyrone High School yesterday morning and charged with possession of heroin.
Sam David Kirk of 356 Jefferson Ave., Tyrone was arraigned yesterday morning at the office of District Magistrate Fred Miller. He is charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and a violation of the public school code, possession of a cellular telephone during school hours.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by police chief Mark Frailey of the Tyrone Area School District Police Department, a search of Kirk’s person on March 3 revealed a small bag containing a white substance. Subsequently, the substance was analyzed by the state police crime lab and determined to be heroin, a Schedule 1 narcotic.
Frailey was tight-lipped about the arrest during a telephone conversation with The Daily Herald yesterday afternoon.
He did say, however, that he wasn’t sure if this particular incident would lead to future arrests.
“We don’t tolerate heroin here at the school,” said Frailey. “Anytime we find somebody with heroin, we’re going to arrest them.”
Also during the search, a cellular telephone was found in the defendant’s pocket.
Kirk was released on $15,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Altoona attorney Phillip Robertson represented Kirk during his arraignment.
