hagerstown, maryland drug bust

Grant was treated at Meritus Medical Center and released to authorities, Kerns said. Later, outside a Rotary Club meeting, Keller talks more optimistically about the citys current efforts to tackle the crisis. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; and Sheriff Douglas Mullendore of the Washington County Narcotics Task Force. With a projected $125 million in investments needed to fully develop the proposala big ifthe project, according to city officials, has the potential to create 875 jobs. Consider, for example, that three of the four railroad properties on the Monopoly board were spokes in that Hagerstown hub, connecting the city to Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York. A methadone clinic was not a part of that vision. Now its everywhere here, she says. It could not be determined Wednesday if those arrested remained in custody or were on pre-trial release. Christine Jenkins, one count of distribution of heroin. Dwayne Unglebower, four counts of possession with intent to distribute spice, three counts of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. She discusses plans for the rollout of a new awareness program, Washington Goes Purple, a symbolic color adopted by opioid prevention advocates, geared toward steering youth away from substance abuse. For the past 44 years, since Valley Mall was built on the outskirts of town, shuttering the department stores, retail shops, restaurants, theaters, and five and dimes, there have been hopes of reviving Hagerstowns once-thriving city center. Kevin Simmers relished locking up drug users, no matter how little crack they had on them. They dont stand a chance., The societal ripple effect of the opioid epidemic cant be overstated, says Piercy, who doesnt have to look any farther than outside his downtown Potomac Street office window to witness people nodding and passing out. Stephen McCormick, two counts of distribution of cocaine. The 30-count indictment charges the residents of Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the Dominican Republic with trafficking large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown to locations in Berkeley County, West Virginia, from August 2020 to June 2021. Daily, he watches people, mostly in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, selling and scoring drugs in the citys central parking lot behind the gallery. Joseph Archie Spain III, 44, of Preston, Maryland. Torri Deann Richardson, 37, and Roger Dean Saylor III, 30, were. Thats everyone I know. Having beautiful open spaces is important, and its important to have a connection to your community, says city engineer Rodney Tissue, who moved to Hagerstown in 1986 and raised his two daughters here. A Hagerstown appliance store was allegedly used as a hub for the illegal activities. The NTF is responsible for the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of persons who violate the controlled dangerous substance laws of Maryland, regardless of the sophisitication of the illicit operation. Opioid crisis:Hagerstown, Washington County closer to seeing some opioid settlements, Drug deaths:Fatal drug overdoses hit record levels during COVID. seventy-five miles west of Baltimore, the sun has yet to rise over South Mountain, but already a line of cars is arriving at the Phoenix Health Center in Hagerstown. From March 20 to April 24, 2019, law enforcement surveilled activity at the suspected unit on a daily basis and observed Smith opening the storage unit to weigh and process suspected narcotics for distribution. Simmers, an outgoing, thick-shouldered 53-year-old, joined the military out of high school in the early 1980s with the intention of going into law enforcement. Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. To learn more about ChatGPT and how we can inspire students, we sat down with BestReviews book expert, Ciera Pasturel. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. Its a phone call away. Now, however, nearly all of the rails leading into downtown have been removed. Its a problem, says former Hagerstown police chief Victor Brito, who resigned in May to lead the Rockville force. icki Sterling, director of the Washington County Health Departments Division of Behavorial Health Services, says the turning point for the county in addressing the opioid epidemic was the death of former Hagerstown police sergeant Kevin Simmers daughter, Brooke, who overdosed on heroin 10 days after she had been released from a four-month prison stay. HAGERSTOWN, Md. Multiple law enforcement agencies ultimately provided assistance with the investigation. NTF has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Hagerstown Resident Office and works closely with Hagerstown Police Department's Street Crime Unit. (Photos from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office) Williams is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. CDS Possession/Use of Cocaine and Derivatives CDS Possession/Use of Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl) CDS Sale/Manufacturing Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl), CDS Sale/Manufacturing Other Dangerous Drugs CDS Possession/Use Opium (Heroin) CDS Sale/Manufacturing Cocaine, CDS Possession/Use- Cocaine CDS Possession/Use of Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl) CDS With Intent to Distribute Narcotics, CDS Possession- Not Cannabis CDS Possession/Use, (Use the blue dots to scroll the list of recent arrests). He liked the feeling the Vicodin gave him and began to sometimes take the pills just for that hydrocodone buzz. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. When you cant find work, cant pay your billswho wants to think about that? The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Baltimore Magazine. Everyone had a story., n its heyday, Hagerstown built the massive Fairchild transport planes that carried U.S. troops across the Pacific during the Korean War; post-war, they made Boeing jets. Mayor Richard Trump (no relation to the president),who ran for office on a slate that promised to return God to City Hall, abruptly resigned without explanation after nine months in office in 2006. Whether these efforts, which remain largely public investmentschools, libraries, parkscan spark enough commercial interest to compete with the Valley Mall, the two Walmart Supercenters, and the Premium Outlets remains to be determined. The Caroline and Dorchester County Task Forces, Homeland Security Investigations and Drug Enforcement Administration, were further assisted by Dorchester County States Attorneys Office, Dorchester County Sheriffs Office, MSP Special Operations Group, MSP STATE Team, MSP Homicide, MSP PACE, MSP Gun Unit, MSP Criminal Investigations (Easton, Centreville, Salisbury, Princess Anne and Worcester), MSP Technical Surveillance Unit, Easton Police Department, Wicomico County Sheriffs Office, Talbot County Narcotics Task Force, Kent County Narcotics Task Force, Queen Annes County Narcotics Task Force, Somerset County Narcotics Task Force, Queen Anne's County Sheriffs Office, Federalsburg Police, and the Hurlock Police Department. People began to say, Oh, if it can happen to that family, it can happen to my family, Sterling says. Ten years ago, the Hagerstown native started having seizures once or twice a week that left his muscles tense, his bones aching, and his head feeling like it might explode. Information for Victims of 1st Million Dollars, LLC. By Ron Cassie and Lauren LaRocca Photography by BENJAMIN C. TANKERSLEY | July 2018, By Ron Cassie and Lauren LaRocca. In 2009, an old theater was transformed into BISFA, a magnet arts high school. "That is a snapshot, one day in the time of this case so that tells you that over the whole year of the investigation the breadth of this conspiracy and this illegal enterprise," Bernard said. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and the Washington County Narcotics Task Force for their work in the investigation. In a Brookings Institution study of 114 metropolitan areas that specialized in manufacturing from 1980-2005, the Hagerstown-Martinsburg (West Virginia) area had the second-highest percentage of industry job change in the U.S., a staggering 70 percent. I legitimately thought about that for five or six hours that day. Before long, he was buying heroin because it was cheaper than pills, and he went from snorting to injecting it, simply to maintain the same highand eventually just to function, if you could call it that. Grant also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of needles related to drugs; possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana; creating a common nuisance through distributing narcotics; and escape in the second degree, according to Kerns and online court records. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( That investigation led to the Narcotics Task Force obtaining 9 search warrants. , Rep. Hoyer on legacy, traditions and Speaker McCarthy, How much more DMV residents will pay for healthcare, Husband of missing DC real estate executive arrested, Virginia H.S. The Caroline County Drug Task Force started the investigation by looking into the operation of a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large amount of cocaine, opioids,. Smith and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Smith will be sentenced to 92 months in federal prison followed by 4 years of supervised release. Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. But how many people do you know that have been attacked by a terrorist? And now, Hagerstowns unique coordinates, once its greatest asset, play a leading role in enabling its public health crisis. In 2019, there were 119 non-fatal and 24 fatal overdoses reported in Allegany County. The two have been charged in connection with a drug distribution conspiracy in the Westminster area of Carroll County, Maryland. More than 80 percent of students at three Hagerstown public schools receive free or reduced-priced lunches. Along with a prescription for the anti-seizure medication Topamax, his family doctor prescribed him Vicodin to be taken after each episode. Patrica Diaz,four counts of possession with intent to distribute spice, three counts of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. We have a long way to go, but the school has brought life downtown, Hovermale says. Most arent even here to get clean but to get by. The 30-count indictment alleges the operation trafficked large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown to Berkeley County, West Virginia, between. ; Cody William Grant, 26, of 826 Dewey Ave., Apt. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. If you are in immediate danger dial 911. On February 19, city health officials reported the number of heroin overdoses to which EMS crews and city police responded to. Plainspoken but good-natured, and a well-respected journalist, Elliott started atTheHerald-Mailin 1970. The person arrested on the outstanding warrant was Violet Benjamin, 53, of Hagerstown. Others sell or trade their methadone or bupe (opioid medications used to suppress withdrawal symptoms) to buy the real thing, faking drug tests to game the system. A months-long investigation initiated by citizen complaints resulted in the arrests of two suspected drug dealers Wednesday. Michael Romito, three counts of distribution of heroin. The Frederick Police Department is seeking assistance locating a 17-year-old male, who has been missing since June. Thats how strong the grip of this addiction is.. Anderson was charged with distribution of narcotics and possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not marijuana, according to online court records. The arrests were made during an eight-week investigation that was centered in the Queen City Drive and Park Street areas and was launched in response to complaints from citizens, businesses and visitors concerning the solicitation of prostitution. Arrest made in Feb. 5 Hagerstown homicide. This is across the boardand Ill be the first to agree that attitudes are changing because more white people are dyingthats totally fair. More than 1,000 pounds of prescription medicine is collected in the first two hours of the event, which is held in an empty parking lot outside the county health offices. I wanted to be in narcotics. Nine arrested in early morning drug bust in Westernport. I cannot count the number of friends who have died after I almost did, says Katie Wetzel, 27, a recovering addict in Hagerstown who is now married with three kids. 3, in Hagerstowns North End; and Daniel Matthew Anderson, 28, of 1008 Security Road, Apt. Police said a more than three-year investigation. George Alfred Butler, 56, of Federalsburg, Maryland. It is a cruel twist that Hagerstown, on the receiving end of so much heroin from Baltimore, has such a shortage of addiction specialists that the Wells House, one of the largest outpatient clinics here, utilizes Baltimore doctors via telemedicine to treat its clients. four counts of possession with intent to distribute spice, three counts of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. (In 2007, three Purdue executives pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the misbranding of OxyContin and paid $34.5 million in fines, while the company agreed to pay $600 million to resolve a Department of Justice investigation.) Call (240) 382-2757 or get your auth barcode quickly online. She can be reached via email at julieg@herald-mail.com. Images courtesy of Hagerstown police Department. Forget Special Agent in Charge Washington, DC @DEAWashingtonDC June 29, 2022 Contact: Public Information Office Phone Number: (571) 362-1934 For Immediate Release Prosecutors alleged they conspired to sell 100 grams or more of heroin, 500 grams or more of cocaine and . Its nearly impossible to find a family, including those among the Hagerstown Police Department and City Council, that has not been affected by the towns still-escalating opioid epidemic. In an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur announced that four have been arrested and two are still being sought in connection with the Hagerstown drug bust. There wasnt a door that I knocked on when I was campaigning for City Council that people didnt say heroin and the opioid crisis was the number one issue, Keller says. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. In the first decades after World War II, during the early rumblings of the automobile age, Hagerstown continued to thrive, becoming a trucking hub as well a rail hub. Frederick County Sheriff's Office Assists In Taking Down Major Drug Operation In Hagerstown Last Week February 13, 2023 - 3:40 pm Five people were arrested; large quantities of drugs confiscated. After the public schools and hospital, the largest employers in Washington County today are the sprawling Citi and First Data call centers. Jackie Devon Thompson, 41, of Frederick, Md. orking with Philadelphia-based Urban Partners, the city has put together a 10-year City Center Plan, which began in 2014, to enhance the towns quality of life and attract new developers, investors, and businesses. basketball state quarterfinal highlights, D.C. high school basketball playoffs highlights (3/3/23), Maryland high school basketball playoffs highlights, Court docs reveal videos fmr. Those charged are: Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as "Papi," 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland and the Dominican Republic According to a 2016 report from the U.S. surgeon general, only one in 10 people with an addiction problem receives treatment. Mostly sunny skies with gusty winds. Six people in Hagerstown, Maryland, conspired to distribute enough fentanyl to kill 1 million people, or 25 times the population of Hagerstown, federal prosecutors say. He moved on to 10-milligram Percocet, then 30-milligram. A Hagerstown pawn shop. All it takes is a little fentanylor a microgram of carfentanyl, which is 100 times more potent. Now, how many families do you know that have been affected by addiction? Men outside a Hammond Street garage. Authorities are reporting 12 people have been charged with sex offenses, and seven victims have been placed into the harm reduction program with the Washington County Health Department. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. In recent decades, theyve swapped roles. She highlighted not just the personal toll of the opioid epidemic on families but decreasing property values, its effect on businesses and workforce participation rates, and the immense strain placed on the citys police, EMS, and fire department budgets. Police seized drugs, cash and weapons from the residence, Kerns said. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Eight planned downtown catalyst projects include an expanded City Farmers Market and the creation of a cultural trail, part of which has already been implemented. These included the creation of a multi-jurisdictional Maryland State Police Heroin Investigation Unit to focus on mid-to-upper-level heroin and opioid distribution operations. Some of them were done outside, some were done in the apartments, numerous kids were in the area playing, numerous people out and about, said Sgt. The rear of North and Locust Food Mart. A Hagerstown appliance store owner is charged with using it as a front for an illegal drug operation estimated to havehandled millions of dollars worth of drugs and proceeds, according to federal authorities. Smith accessed the storage unit on 39 separate occasions and obtained at least 250 grams of narcotics during his visits. Others walk from nearby apartments. Jazzmen Vaughn, one count distribution of heroin and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. She tried treatment and rehab several times, and even laid down on the familys lawn once, begging her father to shoot her to put her out of her misery. The City Council will likely be forced to raise property taxes again this year. Photography by Benjamin C. Tankersley | July 2018. the sun has yet to rise over South Mountain, but already a line of cars is arriving at the Phoenix Health Center in Hagerstown. Im not in economic development, but you also cant help but wonder, how do you build a workforce and attract new businesseswhich we desperately needwhen this is happening everywhere in your community?. HAGERSTOWN, Md. Neither did the Washington County health officer or then-Hagerstown Police Chief Arthur Smith, who questioned the wisdom of opening a methadone clinic in a city that, he claimed, did not have a heroin problem. HAGERSTOWN, Md. HAGERSTOWN, MD Five Hagerstown residents have been arrested after a major drug and weapons bust February 9th announced by The Washington County Sheriff's Office and its law enforcement partners this week. Calls can not be returned if call blocking features are used. During the early morning hours of December 20 th, the Allegany County Sheriff's Office with the assistance of numerous allied agencies executed search and seizure warrants at three separate locations in the Town of Westernport. The crisis, he says, is driving a dramatic increase in infant mortality rates, a bellwether for other social problems. Michelle Lynn Spain, 48, of Preston, Maryland, James Eugene Simms, 36, of Great Mills, Maryland. Three people were taken into custody in Washington County last week on drug charges involving fentanyl and crack cocaine. A locked padlock There were a few people dedicated to establishing a Maryland orchestra, a few people trying to revive the Maryland Theatre. (Currently affiliated with the Nationals, the Suns draw a South Atlantic league-low 896 fans per game; Frederick led the Carolina League in attendance from 2012-2016, attracting nearly 5,000 fans a game.). Information entered into this system will be submitted to the Washington County Narcotics Task Force only. Kristie Lockhard, a 38-year-old recovering addict volunteering at the event, says when she first started using heroin in 1999, she would drive to Baltimore two or three times a day to buy it. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Timothy Michael Ford, age 23 of Hagerstown, MD (1) Possession of heroin (2) (It also broke a record last year with eight homicides, sending its per capita murder rate past Philadelphia and Chicago.). The first three municipality lawsuits against drugmakersall Ohio casesare scheduled to be heard in U.S. District Court in Cleveland early next year. A Maryland State Police corporal who occasionally works out of the Hagerstown barrack was arrested Saturday for allegedly leaking case information and abetting an illegal drug operation, according to federal court documents. Bernard had high praise for the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved, saying "they did a tremendous job. But today, while Frederick, just 25 miles east down I-70, is regularly named among the best places to live in the U.S., Hagerstown more closely resembles a microcosm of Baltimoreessentially a small town with big-city problems, continually in survival mode. Even as other Rust Belt towns declinelosing union jobs, community, status, and a general hope for a brighter futurethe numbers in Hagerstown are startling when you step back and look at them. NOW PLAYING ABOVE. The National Road, Route 40, began carrying wagon trains through Hagerstown to the Ohio River Valley in 1818. George Wallace campaigned here in 1968 and 1972. As a result of those search warrants, police recovered over 18 kilograms of cocaine, 2.7 kilograms of heroin/fentanyl, 5.9 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 170 pounds of marijuana and approximately 34 firearms along with money believed to be connected to the drug operation. For the past three years, the Simmerses have been working to build Brookes House in Washington County. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. But he moved his family to Pennsylvania a couple years ago, leaving Hagerstown behind. According to his guilty plea, on March 18, 2019, law enforcement received an anonymous tip from a Hagerstown, Maryland storage facility customer reporting that an individual driving a large SUV and a storage unit conducted a suspected drug deal at the facility. Andrew Clopper, one count of distribution of heroin. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. As a result of the executed search warrant at Smiths storage unit, law enforcement located 15.4 grams of heroin, 8.9 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, digital scales with suspected heroin residue, numerous small plastic baggies, and a glass jar containing a suspected cutting agent. The task force was assisted by the Washington County Special Response Team and the Hagerstown regional office of the Drug Enforcement Agency, according to an email from Kerns. Prosecutors allege that Luna Mota, the owner of Top 3 Sources, was using the West Washington Street store to keep and sell drugs. The epidemic has not peaked yet by any means, says Mike Piercy, director of the Washington County Department of Social Services. 6:15 AM. A sitting train and truck behind a lot along West Franklin Street. E, all face drug charges, according to Kerns and online court records. One of the biggest mistakes city officials made was failing to sufficiantly upgrade Municipal Stadium, the nearly 90-year-old home of the minor league Hagerstown Suns, or build a new ballpark downtown. During the execution of the search warrant, Smith informed law enforcement that he had a storage unit in Hagerstown, Maryland, and told officers where he kept the keys to the unit. Add to all of this one more factor: Three prisons in Hagerstown, includings two state penitentiaries, have had a habit, according to local law enforcement officials, of leaving ex-offenders in town once theyre released. From March 20 to April 24, 2019, law enforcement surveilled activity at the suspected unit on a daily basis and observed Smith opening the storage unit to weigh and process suspected narcotics for distribution. Indirectly, they could have a hand at reversing the public health crises in the long run, civic leaders say. MARTINSBURG Allegedly using Top 3 Resources, an appliance store in Hagerstown, Maryland, as a front for having and selling controlled substances, 15 Eastern Panhandle residents were among those charged in an expansive drug-trafficking operation. Grant briefly escaped, fleeing while handcuffed, and was captured a short distance away, Kerns said. In some cases, the defendants face penalties of five to 40 years in prison, 20 years in prison and 10 years to life, Bernard said. If we were somehow able to turn around the [addiction] numbers today, it would take another 20 years to shake off the damage., police investigating a burglary on West Franklin Street. Big out-of-town industries such as Fairchild Aircraft, which once employed 10,000 people and closed its plant in 83, and Mack Trucks, which arrived in 1961 (and still makes trucks here, although it employs fewer people), were controlled from a distance and had no stake in the community, Elliott asserts. Including Brookes father. DEA agents and partner agencies in Western Maryland are seeing a resurgence of one-pot meth labs in the area -- noting more incidents of meth labs in the area this year than the last 5 years combined. July 28, 2021 / 2:11 PM We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Law enforcement determined that the reported vehicle was registered to Smith and that the unit had been rented to Smith under a fraudulent New York State drivers license that bore Smiths photograph and the alias Michael Silver. He moved toThe Frederick News-Postin 1989 but lived in Hagerstown until 2000. Corey Diehl, two counts of distribution of heroin. The huge A&W Johnston clock, first built in 1836 and later refurbished, still stands four stories above the town square in a period brick building. . The man seemed nervous. Kimberly Thompson, one count of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. Walter Javier Martinez, 17, was last seen in the area of Wellington Court and may have left in a blue vehicle. (DG) - A sex trafficking operation was dismantled in Washington County. on the U.S. Department of Justice website. Lock Thirty-two-year-old City Councilwoman Emily Keller, a go-getter single mom and insurance agent, lost her oldest friend to an overdose and ran for office specifically to lead the fight against the opioid epidemic. The rest of the state did not share that history, and Hagerstown and towns like it are dealing with something entirely new. Police seized more than 80 pounds of meth, 200 bags of fentanyl, more than two dozen guns and $135,000 in cash in a massive drug bust in Montgomery County. Press Release. A handful, with newer haircuts and cars, might be professionalssomewhere in this politically conservative county.

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