TAMAQUA — Multiple people living in and around Tamaqua were arrested Monday morning by officers serving narcotics arrest warrants.
Most of the arrests in the roundup dealt with “street level” dealers, according to Tamaqua Police Chief Rick Weaver.
Officers collected intelligence on the individuals during separate investigations before mounting the arrest warrant sweep.
The multi-investigation roundup, Weaver said, is a practice borough police conduct every six months or so.
Police secured 28 felony narcotics warrants but believed they would have about 30 arrest warrants once everyone in the roundup was taken into custody.
Heroin, methamphetamine, prescription pills and marijuana were peddled during the investigations.
Those arrested were plucked from the community starting at 6:30 a.m. into the late morning before being brought — three at a time — to Magisterial District Judge Stephen Bayer, Tamaqua, who set each of their bails.
Weaver said a small amount of narcotics such as heroin and methamphetamine were seized during the arrests.
Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman requested none of the bails be unsecured and that none of the defendants be released without bail due to the threats drugs plague a community with.
All of the defendants were taken to jail in the afternoon after high bail was set during their arraignments, Holman said.
A higher than normal amount of females was arrested in this latest roundup, Holman said, totaling near 35 percent of the arrest warrants.
Drug activity is rampant “and it’s ruining. It’s ruining our communities,” Holman said.
Tamaqua alone is “overridden with heroin and meth,” and has about one death per month attributed to drugs, she said.
Each of the defendants is alleged to have committed the crimes, she said, and it will be up to the district attorney’s office to prosecute them.
Among the arrested was Angelina Patton, 25, of Tamaqua, who told the judge she was five months pregnant and also cared for her sister’s two children.
She wept while mentioning that in court and also while stating she believed her career in the healthcare field would come to an end due to her arrest for allegedly conspiring to sell prescription pills.
Holman said prescription pill abuse is as bad as any other drug sold in the area before Bayer set her bail at $10,000.
“So if they don’t post my bail, I’m going to jail now?”
“I’m five months pregnant and I’m going to jail,” Patton said as she was led out of the courtroom crying.
Bayer said bail is not set as a punishment but rather, to determine if someone is a flight risk or a danger to themselves or the community. Selling drugs is a danger to the community, he said.
“You live in this community. You see who’s ODing, you see who’s dying,” Bayer said during one of the arraignments.
Coincidentally, emergency responders were dispatched by Schuylkill County Communications Center to an overdose in Tamaqua as the arraignments took place, police said. No further information on that incident was available.
In another unrelated matter, Anthony Pascoe, who wasn’t on the police arrest warrant list, was also arrested Monday and charged with drug offenses after a Sunday drug overdose 911 call in the borough where police say drugs were found in his home. Pascoe said the drugs weren’t his while in the courtroom.
Kevin Tansley, 29, and Justin Vereen, 22, both of Tamaqua, issued denials to the media that they were selling narcotics as they were led to arraignment.
During arraignment, Tansley further clarified that he sold fake drugs, however Bayer said, under the law, selling a bogus narcotic is just as serious.
Tansley’s bail was set at 10 percent of $25,000, while Vereen’s was set at $50,000.
Keith Cover, 34, of no permanent address, was arrested during the sweep for a warrant in Quakertown, Bucks County, too.
By 10:30 a.m. police had about 13 people in custody and would arrest five more before the day was done.
“If you’re doing drugs, sooner or later we’re going to find you,” Weaver said before walking into the police station at the conclusion of the sweep.
Holman said she appreciated the patience of people who called in drug tips a while ago to the county drug tipline or to police and are only now seeing arrests, explaining that once information is received, it takes time for police to “cultivate” it.
Several people are still wanted by law enforcement, Weaver said, and likely went into hiding once they saw police conducting the sweep.
Holman was optimistic that police would apprehend them.
“Drug dealers beware because we’re coming at you with everything we got,” Holman said.
Tamaqua police were assisted by the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania State Police K-9, Schuylkill County Sheriff’s Office, Schuylkill County Adult Probation, Pennsylvania state probation and police from Rush Township, Coaldale and Schuylkill Township.
Those arrested are listed by the drugs police accused them of selling.
Heroin
• Christina Kieffer, 27, who’s currently in Schuylkill County Prison on other charges, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance, and criminal use of a communication facility and a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.
• Christopher Farber, 24, 433 Glenwood Ave., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance.
Mixed narcotics
• Justin Vereen, 22, 308 Washington St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance for heroin and prescription pills.
• Dustin Oncay, 31, 219 N. Lehigh St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver and misdemeanor counts possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia for heroin and methamphetamine.
• George Cope, 29, 201 Clay St., Tamaqua, felony counts for possession with intent to deliver and misdemeanor counts possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia for methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.
Prescription drugs
• Angelina Patton, 25, 308 Washington St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance, all conspiracy counts.
• Shannon Fredericks, 35, 300 W. Spruce St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance.
• Nathan Startzel, 21, 120 Hunter St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and misdemeanors for possession of a controlled substance.
Methamphetamine
• Kevin Tansley, 29, 222 Brown St., Tamaqua, felony counts for possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance
• Shannon Yemm, 23, Ridge Street, Coaldale, felony counts for possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance
• Charles Erbe, 48, 128 Greenwood St., Coaldale, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance.
• Raymond Brown, 54, 557 Sunbury St., Minersville, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance.
• Laura Redner, 33, 317 Washington St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication facility and a misdemeanor count possession of a controlled substance.
• Kevin Ketchledge, 33, 633 W. Center St., Mahanoy City, felony counts criminal attempt to deliver a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility and misdemeanors for theft, receiving stolen property and theft by deception.
Marijuana
• Kimberly Frey, 27, New Ringgold, felony counts possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility along with one misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
• Colin McGregor, 26, 212 Bowe St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility along with one misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
• Karen Rimsky, 30, Coaldale, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
• Anthony Valentine, 22, 311 Penn St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance.
• Daniel Keach, 26, 228 W. Cottage Ave., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver and delivery of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance.
Still wanted
Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman said anyone with information on the whereabouts of the listed wanted people can call Tamaqua police at 570-668-5000 or the suspects can turn themselves into borough police.
According to police, those wanted people are:
• Nicholas Tipton, 37, 114 Schuylkill Ave., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance for heroin.
• Richard Hornbeck, 45, 238 E. Broad St., Tamaqua, felony delivery of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine.
• Tracey McCurdy, 35, 414 N. Pine St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine.
• Kevin Moore, 34, Pottsville, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine and bath salts.
• Jason Dahm, 38, 732 Broad St., Tuscarora, felony counts for possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance for heroin.
• Nikolas Taylor, 28, Tamaqua, felony counts for possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine.
• Bruce Matalavage, 56, 146B Owl Creek Road, Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana and LSD.
• Tina Hosier, 30, 31 N. Railroad St., Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine and prescription drugs.
• Tonya Braun, 24, Tamaqua, felony counts possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility, and a misdemeanors for possession of a controlled substance.