At that time, police apprehended Beckette, who was inside the duplex, Kerns said. Grant briefly escaped, fleeing while handcuffed, and was captured a short distance away, Kerns said. Ozempic Face showing up in Hagerstown? Doctor Explains Calls can not be returned if call blocking features are used. 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. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Bernard saidMota is accused of using hisbusiness, Top 3 Sources on West Washington Street, to store and sell drugs and launder the proceeds. The investigation involved federal, state and local law enforcement agencies includingthe Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force; the Berkeley and Jefferson County sheriff's offices; the Martinsburg, Charles Town, Ranson and Hagerstown police departments;the Washington County Drug Task Force; West Virginia and Maryland state police; the FBI; the U.S. Situated near the Potomac River and what was once Western Maryland and West Virginia coal country, Hagerstown served as a vital gateway to the fertile Midwest. Police say most of these deals happened in broad daylight. Hagerstown, Md. For the lions share, howevera nearly all-white mix of solitary adults, young and middle-aged couples, teenagers, and parents dragging along childrenit looks like life has been a struggle for a while. Methadone, he argues, is a drug just like heroin. He found an opiate specialist doctor and took Suboxone for about a year, then safely weaned off. four counts of possession with intent to distribute spice, three counts of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. 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. Attorneys Christina A. Hoffman and Joan Mathias, who are prosecuting the case. Hes married with children and living his dream of being a full-time musician, touring his original folk-country songs across the U.S. The C&O (Chesapeake and Ohio) Canal, which passes through Washington County and primarily transported coal, was already in operation by then, having been completed in 1850. And for the past two-and-a-half decades, the city has taken a public health approach to addiction, offering methadone programs, needle exchanges, HIV testing, and inpatient treatment opportunities before the pharmaceutical industry dumped OxyContin and other opioids onto a nave market. 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. Maryland drug bust involving fentanyl, cocaine Men outside a Hammond Street garage. HAGERSTOWN, Md. Conspiracy to commit possession with intent to distribute narcotics. Had we not gotten this building donated, it never wouldve happened, says Hovermale, whos lived in Hagerstown most of his life and now serves as principal of BISFA. Information entered into this system will be submitted to the Washington County Narcotics Task Force only. Hagerstown, Washington County closer to seeing some opioid settlements, Fatal drug overdoses hit record levels during COVID, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy, Ana Ercilia Luna, 36, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Juan Manuel De La Rosa-Tejeda, also known as Little Papi, 35, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Daniel Inoa-Rodriguez, also known as Danny, 21, of Hagerstown, Tyrone Lewis, also known as "Roc," 42, of Hagerstown, Edwin Orrillio, also known as J Money, 34, of Hagerstown, Carlos M. Nunez-Arias, also known as Charlote, 51, of Hagerstown, Edson Velasquez-Lopez, 50, of Martinsburg, Chelsea Nicole Pinkcett, 33, of Martinsburg, Ronald MichaelBowers, 52, of Martinsburg, Devron Jerel Brown, also known as Country, 33, of Martinsburg. Bernard said agents serveda search warrant at the store in June and seized approximately $500,000 worth of drugs, including a kilogram of heroin and nine kilograms of cocaine. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorneys Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. More than 80 percent of students at three Hagerstown public schools receive free or reduced-priced lunches. Joseph Archie Spain III, 44, of Preston, Maryland. All it takes is a little fentanylor a microgram of carfentanyl, which is 100 times more potent. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Hagerstown, Maryland Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Federal Fentanyl and In addition to Mota, the news release listed those indicted in connection with the alleged operation as: All but 11 of the defendants had been arrested as of Wednesday. One (seemingly) solid mayor, Republican Donald Frush, who served from 1981-1985 and was known as the Father of Planning in Washington County, disappeared during his campaign for a second term and was found by a reporter at a Johns Hopkins psych ward. (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.). 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. 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. Stories About Drug Bust - CBS Baltimore This is across the boardand Ill be the first to agree that attitudes are changing because more white people are dyingthats totally fair. However, the shops we visited had good deals and were brightly lit, clean and had nice staff. Life is great now, he says. People often use the term self-medicating to describe why people use drugs or alcohol, says Ron Zuskin, a licensed clinical social worker and former University of Maryland faculty member who has worked in Western Maryland. Thats a lot of drugs, Kerns said Wednesday in a phone interview. Its not the white picket fence. osh Morningstar could be the poster boy for the use of prescription opioids gone awry. More than 20 Hagerstown residents were indicted for drug trafficking after the Washington County Narcotics Task Force wrapped up a two month long drug investigation into the distribution of heroin, crack cocaine and spice in the area. Additionally, through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, who were Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. She also cites the new safe needle program implemented by the county health departmentalbeit over the objection of a couple of state delegatesto combat Hepatitis C and HIV infections. Drug & alcohol testing in Hagerstown, MD at 2 clinics. "This is the largest drug bust in my time as a prosecutor and as the elected state's attorney," Caroline County State's Attorney Joe Riley said. a view from the abandoned hospital parking garage across from the antietam street clinic. The below persons are wanted or need to be identified by WCNTF at this time for drug violations or involved in a drug investigation. People began to say, Oh, if it can happen to that family, it can happen to my family, Sterling says. There were things going on, but no cohesiveness at the top.. The office is currently staffed by personnel to include officers from the Hagerstown City Police Department, Deputies from the Washington County Sheriffs Department, an Intel Analyst, a Gang Analyst, two prosecutors from the State Attorneys Office, and two support staff. The narcotics task force is a joint operation of the Washington County Sheriffs Office and the Hagerstown Police Department. Because of that, its residents have more money and higher expectations, and a strong restaurant base and downtown arts and culture district has grown there, sustained by its community. I wanted to be in narcotics. Its a problem, says former Hagerstown police chief Victor Brito, who resigned in May to lead the Rockville force. Md. 'drug kingpins' arrested; more than $1M in drugs seized Grant was being held without bond Wednesday at the Washington County Detention Center. Tyler and Eddie Ware pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl on October 28, 2020, and January 11, 2021; respectively. 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 first three municipality lawsuits against drugmakersall Ohio casesare scheduled to be heard in U.S. District Court in Cleveland early next year. Beckette also was charged with possession of a large amount of heroin (more than 28 grams); possession of a firearm in relationship to a drug-trafficking crime; creating a common nuisance through distributing narcotics; and theft of less than $1,000 in value, according to Kerns and online court records. 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. Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. 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. 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. Beckette and Anderson were being held at the detention center Wednesday, each in lieu of a $50,000 bond. 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. / CBS Baltimore. We have more kids living with their grandparents and a greater need for foster parents. On Tuesday afternoon, the following people were brought into custody: Thor Swenson, two counts of distribution of heroin. October of 2011, I woke up one day and thought, this is the day you die or the day you get clean. Another resident artist, Anthony Jones Jr., is a recovering cocaine addict and alcoholic who credits artand Engine Roomas part of his salvation, giving him a sense of purpose and allowing him to be creative rather than self-destructive. Michael Romito, three counts of distribution of heroin. Call (240) 382-2757 or get your auth barcode quickly online. Now its everywhere here, she says. 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. 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. District of New Jersey (973) 645-2888. HAGERSTOWN, Md. U.S. Attorney's Office December 21, 2012. If effective, they will be a start in rebuilding Hagerstowns economy and, ultimately, its quality of life. Plainspoken but good-natured, and a well-respected journalist, Elliott started atTheHerald-Mailin 1970. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The school started with 85 students but this year surpassed 300, even though that meant holding classes in hallways and stairwells. The state Attorney General's Office announced that 13 people, including a dietary sergeant at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Anne Arundel County, were indicted on charges they. Justin Ernest Riggs, 33, was arrested Saturday and is accused of leaking information to a drug trafficking organization . First published on July 28, 2021 / 2:11 PM. Prosecutors allege that Luna Mota, the owner of Top 3 Sources, was using the West Washington Street store to keep and sell drugs. Washington Daily Voice serves the towns of: Boonsboro, Fountainhead-Orchard Hills, Hagerstown, Halfway, Maugansville, Paramount-Long Meadow, Robinwood, Smithsburg. WV State Police cite legal exemptions to deny records involving Kerns said Anderson was part of an investigation that occurred prior to the search warrant being executed. It is alleged that Luna Mota, the owner of Top 3 Sources, a business in Hagerstown, Maryland, was using his business on West Washington Street for the purpose of having and selling controlled substances. Still at largewere Mota, Luna, Rodriguez, Longus, Rose,Orrillio,Velasquez-Lopez,Pinkcett, Gregory, Brown and Nunez-Arias, authorities said. The rest of the state did not share that history, and Hagerstown and towns like it are dealing with something entirely new. (DG) - A sex trafficking operation was dismantled in Washington County. This place is a blessing. Miguel Angel Santiago Caraballo, 30, of Chambersburg, Pa. July 28, 2021 / 2:11 PM We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. 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. Inside the bedroom, Heather Strausbaugh sat talking with her client the conversation ranged from nightlife and bars to their families. 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. President Donald Trump spoke to a packed hangar at Hagerstown Regional Airport during his campaign in 2016 and won the county vote by a 2-1 margin. Jazzmen Vaughn, one count distribution of heroin and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. A handful, with newer haircuts and cars, might be professionalssomewhere in this politically conservative county. 15 Eastern Panhandle residents charged in expansive drug-trafficking Major Drug and Weapons Bust Announced from February 9th in Hagerstown A block away, the City of Hagerstown opened the artist-run Engine Room Art Space and four artist apartments above it in 2015, which also breathes some life into the city. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence. Spain is being held without bond at the Caroline County Detention Center. Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as Papi, 48, of the Dominican Republic, is one of 34 people indicted by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of West Virginia on charges stemming froma multi-state drug operation, according to Randolph J. Bernard, the district's acting U.S. attorney. 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. To me, the urban improvement project is huge. he one place in Maryland that has had a long struggle with heroin use is Baltimore, of course. 34 indicted in drug ring run from Hagerstown appliance store, feds say We had 13 infant deaths over the past two years, eight of whom were born substance exposed and later died at home because of neglect or some other cause, Piercy says. The indictment seeks forfeiture of $410,016 in cash, six vehicles and a .22-caliber revolver and ammunition. Baltimore, Maryland - Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.. 6:15 AM. The drugs seized during the investigation amounted to 8.6 kilograms of cocaine, 1.02 kilograms of heroin, and 12 ounces of crack cocaine, with a street value of approximately $471,000. E, all face drug charges, according to Kerns and online court records. Its hope or heroin out here.. I fully bought into the War on Drugs and what Reagan was doing, he says. Washington, D.C. Man Convicted After Nine-Day Trial for Use of a Firearm in Connection with a Murder and a Robbery, and for a Drug Distribution Conspiracy. Police said a more than three-year investigation. George Wallace campaigned here in 1968 and 1972. (ABC7) The news from Hagerstown wasn't good. 2 counts of conspiracy to commit possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 3 counts of using a firearm in drug trafficking, Possession of a controlled dangerous substance not marijuana. The Frederick Police Department is seeking assistance locating a 17-year-old male, who has been missing since June. Dealers now have their own pill presses, explains Drug Enforcement Administration agent Robert Grob at a recent Drug Take Back Day, a collaboration between the Hagerstown Police Department, county health department, and the DEA that encourages local residents to turn in leftover medication for safe disposal. Two more telltale signs of Hagerstowns plight are present here as well: The countys storefront offices sit in an all-but-abandoned shopping center, and nearby is a Superfund site, less than a mile from three public schools, and still in need of remediation two decades after it was added to the EPAs National Priorities List. Baltimore, Maryland Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. Thats everyone I know. This epidemic, largely caused by the pharmaceutical industrys complete lack of accountability or care about anyone or anything other than their pockets, has wreaked havoc on my city, Keller said. Its low-income, and I think its hard for people to find and keep employment there, he says. 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. He liked the feeling the Vicodin gave him and began to sometimes take the pills just for that hydrocodone buzz. ; Cody William Grant, 26, of 826 Dewey Ave., Apt. 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. Brother and Sister Arrested After Police Seize $24 Million During Drug Bust The trail, which he helped develop, is primarily for economic development but also gives residents a sense of place and pride in their community. 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. Prosecutors alleged they conspired to sell 100 grams or more of heroin, 500 grams or more of cocaine and . He moved on to 10-milligram Percocet, then 30-milligram. Nine arrested in early morning drug bust in Westernport | WCBC According to Bernard, those charged are: Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as "Papi," 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, and the Dominican Republic U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Hagerstown PD's Biggest Drug Bust Caught On Film By Copwatch HTOWN 12 arrested in Frederick County drug bust | wusa9.com Scrubbing Baltimores Marble Steps Was My Very First Job, How Actress Rachel Hilsons Baltimore Roots Influence Her Work Today, The Mount Vernon Virtuosi is Much More Than a Chamber Orchestra, Deer Park, MD Was Once an Elite VacationlandThanks in Part to its Famous Water, Artist James Evans Uses Photographs and Words to Combat Prejudice in Nature, Baltimore School for the Arts Debuts a Student-Run Newspaper. Walter Javier Martinez, 17, was last seen in the area of Wellington Court and may have left in a blue vehicle. -- The number of meth cases, particularly of one-pot meth labs in Western Maryland, has been experiencing a recent surge. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. 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?. Williams is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. When a methadone clinic was first proposed at this site, two blocks from Hagerstowns main street, in the spring of 2001, it was met with vehement opposition. The task force also arrested Shawn Oliver on Monday for having an active warrant out for his arrest for the distribution of heroin, police said. Including Brookes father. The 16-bed treatment project for women is partly to honor their daughter, who once shared her wish of getting off drugs and opening such a center with her parents, but it is also borne of frustration, as the family repeatedly struggled to get the help their daughter needed. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Magnitude 2.0 earthquake reaches Montgomery County, Best smart home devices for older users, according, How to get started on spring cleaning early, according, Worried about your student using ChatGPT for homework? #washcoproud, 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 With Intent to Distribute Narcotics, Please contact Deb Fling at (301) 514-7373 or email, Washington County Government is hiring for full-ti, The Washington County Office of Emergency Manageme, SAVE THE DATE! And now, Hagerstowns unique coordinates, once its greatest asset, play a leading role in enabling its public health crisis. A locked padlock Simms is being held at the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. Founded in 1986, the Washington County Narcotics Task Force (NFT) is comprised of members from the Hagerstown Department of Police and the Washington County Sheriffs Office. Robison. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. HAGERSTOWN, Md. Derosiers isBeing held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. 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. Shortly after Grant was taken into custody, the task force executed a search-and-seizure warrant at 807 Hamilton Blvd., Kerns said. 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. Alternative Drug & Alcohol Counseling (ADAC), 370 Virginia Ave, Hagerstown MDPhone: (301) 766-0065 or email [emailprotected], 64 South Main Street, Boonsboro, MD 21713, Meetings in Parish House (Park in back, house to the right), Capturing Washington County, Maryland's faces, places and unique spaces with creative and artful imagery. The 30-count indictment alleges the operation trafficked large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown toBerkeley County, West Virginia, between August2020and June of this year, according to a news release from Bernard's office. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. While he fled, Grant fell and injured himself, Kerns said. 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. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. (Photos from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office) She mentions the increased training for Narcan, a medication that can prevent fatal overdoses, across the city. Martinsburg Police Chief George Swartwood said the arrests and seizures of drugs represent "more to this community than just numbers on a page.". Along with a prescription for the anti-seizure medication Topamax, his family doctor prescribed him Vicodin to be taken after each episode. NTF has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Hagerstown Resident Office and works closely with Hagerstown Police Department's Street Crime Unit.