Thats everyone I know. 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. , 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 trail, which he helped develop, is primarily for economic development but also gives residents a sense of place and pride in their community. Grant was being held without bond Wednesday at the Washington County Detention Center. William Miller, one count of distribution of heroin. He moved on to 10-milligram Percocet, then 30-milligram. The Washington County Narcotics Task Force performed the drug raid at a Hagerstown apartment after first obtaining a warrant based on a narcotics investigation of that address. Including Brookes father. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. E, all face drug charges, according to Kerns and online court records. 6:15 AM. 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. 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 . If you are in immediate danger dial 911. Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the West Virginia Air National Guard;U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and U.S. attorney's offices in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. 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. 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. 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. Multiple law enforcement agencies ultimately provided assistance with the investigation. According to Bernard, those charged are: Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as "Papi," 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, and the Dominican Republic 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. Julie E. Greene is a reporter for The Herald-Mail. 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. Please provide as much information as possible, Your name and address/information is optional. He is being held at the Washington County Detention Center on a $80,000 bond. Its hope or heroin out here.. July 28, 2021 / 2:11 PM ; Cody William Grant, 26, of 826 Dewey Ave., Apt. 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. 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. There were a few people dedicated to establishing a Maryland orchestra, a few people trying to revive the Maryland Theatre. 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. He couldnt hold down a job for more than a month or two, he says, and bounced around from one employer to the next: cleaning bathrooms, painting houses, waiting tables, making pizza. I mean you can kind of look at it as a small part of the community that we you know are dealing with but we know its not just at the end of security road, washignton gardens that end of town, its all over the town, said Sgt. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Hitachi Rail Factory "on track" in Hagerstown. Police say most of these deals happened in broad daylight. (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.) In 2009, an old theater was transformed into BISFA, a magnet arts high school. Later, outside a Rotary Club meeting, Keller talks more optimistically about the citys current efforts to tackle the crisis. Indirectly, they could have a hand at reversing the public health crises in the long run, civic leaders say. The rear of North and Locust Food Mart. Justin Ernest Riggs, 33, was arrested Saturday and is accused of leaking information to a drug trafficking organization . 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. 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. Its not the white picket fence. Officials in Frederick and Washington Counties seized over $90,000 worth of cocaine and crack cocaine inside of a Hagerstown home. Christine Jenkins, one count of distribution of heroin. Saturday mornings are the busiest days of the week because the drug treatment clinic is closed on Sundaysmeaning that several hundred people begin showing up at 5 a.m. to ensure that they can collect their extra day's supply . The first indictment names 25 defendants accused in one or more of the drug conspiracies. Ive been a right-wing Republican all my life, Simmers says. Still at largewere Mota, Luna, Rodriguez, Longus, Rose,Orrillio,Velasquez-Lopez,Pinkcett, Gregory, Brown and Nunez-Arias, authorities said. 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. You can imagine as a police officer and a father how I felt, Simmers says. So far in 2020, the rate of overdoses in the county has increased with 83 non-fatal . Perhaps as many as three-quarters of those in local methadone programs, according to recovering addicts interviewed for this story, still get high, using coke, crack, ecstasy, Spice, or benzos like Xanax, which are particularly dangerous in combination with methadone. Attorneys Christina A. Hoffman and Joan Mathias, who are prosecuting the case. Those kind of manufacturing jobs generally pulled up stakes for cheaper labor in the South or overseas, a trend that has continued. A mortality rate increase for any first-world demographic group had been virtually unheard of for decades, with the exception of Russian men after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a phenomenon blamed on soaring alcoholism rates. Hagerstown is still a meat and potatoes kind of place, says Elliott. 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. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Low 33F. This is across the boardand Ill be the first to agree that attitudes are changing because more white people are dyingthats totally fair. He was released after posting his $5,000 bond. Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. He moved toThe Frederick News-Postin 1989 but lived in Hagerstown until 2000. Inside the bedroom, Heather Strausbaugh sat talking with her client the conversation ranged from nightlife and bars to their families. In the early 1980s, King ran a large drug operation in East Baltimore and was a well-known figure, driving a DeLorean sports car and smoking with a bejeweled Zippo. Three people were taken into custody in Washington County last week on drug charges involving fentanyl and crack cocaine. The person arrested on the outstanding warrant was Violet Benjamin, 53, of Hagerstown. Derosiers isBeing held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. (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.). In 2016 (the most recent year available), an average of 113 prescriptions for opioids were written for every 100 Washington County residentsnearly twice the national average. Three Hagerstown residents face drug charges after suspected heroin and suspected methamphetamine with a street value of approximately $50,000 was seized along with $9,000 in cash and several firearms during a drug bust this week involving multiple agencies, officials said. Police seized drugs, cash and weapons from the residence, Kerns said. On June 29, the task force said agents presented cases to a Grand Jury that resulted in the indictment of 16 Hagerstown residents. But he moved his family to Pennsylvania a couple years ago, leaving Hagerstown behind. 3, in Hagerstowns North End; and Daniel Matthew Anderson, 28, of 1008 Security Road, Apt. Is Hagerstown eating its way to dementia? 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. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. The man seemed nervous. 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. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Clear skies. After being arrested on July 1, police said Oliver assaulted an officer and was found with a controlled dangerous substance. osh Morningstar could be the poster boy for the use of prescription opioids gone awry. My daughter went to school with her. Up until that point, most people in Washington County viewed addiction as a criminal justice issue. The number of child abuse cases has gone up. Smith accessed the storage unit on 39 separate occasions and obtained at least 250 grams of narcotics during his visits. HAGERSTOWN, Md. 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. 2023 www.heraldmailmedia.com. Most Popular. CARROLL COUNTY 30-year-old James Samms was arrested for drug distribution conspiracy. 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. But how many people do you know that have been attacked by a terrorist? Prosecutors alleged they conspired to sell 100 grams or more of heroin, 500 grams or more of cocaine and . 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. Washington street leading east at the hagerstown public square in 1957. Lewis Chamberlain, two counts of distribution of heroin. 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. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( Others arrive in pajamas and sweatpants, barely awake, clutching telltale lockboxes for take-home doses. Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. TTY users may call any government office through the Maryland Relay Service 1-800-735-2258, Drug Activity Phone Tip Line 301-223-2632. Grant was treated at Meritus Medical Center and released to authorities, Kerns said. HAGERSTOWN, Md. George Alfred Butler, 56, of Federalsburg, Maryland. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. A Hagerstown pawn shop. Some NTF agents are even deputized by the DEA as Federal Task Force Officers (TFO's). Joshua Reed, one count of distribution of heroin. The loot was wrapped in bundles. 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. Jackie Devon Thompson, 41, of Frederick, Md. 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. I wanted to be in narcotics. 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. "If they just had a pipefine," he said. But the sad fact is that in 2018, Phoenix Health Center drawsmore people downtown than anything else on a Saturday. A Hagerstown appliance store was allegedly used as a hub for the illegal activities. The task force said Oliver was previously arrested by Hagerstown Police Department officers last Wednesday for fleeing on foot from a car accident in the south end of 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. Read More. 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. "If they just had a pipefine . Corey Diehl, two counts of distribution of heroin. You have permission to edit this article. 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. HAGERSTOWN, Md. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. 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. Stay up to date with the latest community news written by award-winning editors and local reporters. 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. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence. 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. Four people were apprehended, three in relation to the possession of controlled substances, and one on an outstanding warrant. According to a 2016 report from the U.S. surgeon general, only one in 10 people with an addiction problem receives treatment. Shortly after Grant was taken into custody, the task force executed a search-and-seizure warrant at 807 Hamilton Blvd., Kerns said. After the public schools and hospital, the largest employers in Washington County today are the sprawling Citi and First Data call centers. This pooling of investigative resources benefits each investigative unit with increased manpower, less duplication of effort, and by coordinating the targeting of drug offenders. 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. 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. NOW PLAYING ABOVE. For the past three years, the Simmerses have been working to build Brookes House in Washington County. He is being held at Eastern Regional Jail in Berkeley County, W.Va. Federal authorities allege the drug ring involved millions of dollars worth of drugs and proceeds, distributing large amounts. Christina Boward, two counts of distribution of heroin. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Some of the NFT agents are also federally deputized members of the DEA, which gives these local agents enforcement powers anywhere in the United States. The NFT is housed within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)at the DEAs Hagerstown Office. Along with a prescription for the anti-seizure medication Topamax, his family doctor prescribed him Vicodin to be taken after each episode. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. 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. 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 liked the feeling the Vicodin gave him and began to sometimes take the pills just for that hydrocodone buzz. Six years ago, at an I-81 coalition meeting of stakeholders, Western Maryland state police commander Lt. Mike Fluharty coined the phrase Heroin Highway to describe Hagerstowns I-81/I-70 nexus. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The opioid trade has become so lucrative here that dealers from Baltimore and even New York travel to Hagerstown, and often farther into West Virginia, because they can earn up to $40 more a gram for heroin and a similarly higher profit margin for fake pills, like the counterfeit, fentanyl-laced Vicodin that killed Prince. Hagerstown, Md. Additionally, in Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, who were Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. nyone wishing to report narcotics information is encouraged to contact the task force by calling 301-791-3205, emailing, Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, 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? (ABC7) The news from Hagerstown wasn't good. 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. Its these fast-rolling interstates that carry the deadly opioids, including heroin and fetanyl, flooding Marylands western counties. . On Monday, task force agents said they found Oliver with a significant amount of heroin. Spain is being held at the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. We have more kids living with their grandparents and a greater need for foster parents. From the early 1970s onward, there was a vacuumeconomically, socially, politically, culturally. U.S. Attorney's Office December 21, 2012. Michelle Lynn Spain, 48, of Preston, Maryland, James Eugene Simms, 36, of Great Mills, Maryland. A list of the indicted individuals is available on the U.S. Department of Justice website. Brooke died while waiting for insurance approval for a $700 monthly shot of Vivitrol, which reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Plainspoken but good-natured, and a well-respected journalist, Elliott started atTheHerald-Mailin 1970. An official website of the United States government. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (Photos from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office) The alleged traffickers distributed drugs in Caroline and Dorchester counties, as well as parts of Delaware, according to police, who said investigators from multiple agencies developed enough. The NFT is housed within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at the DEA's Hagerstown Office. Smith accessed the storage unit on 39 separate occasions and obtained at least 250 grams of narcotics during his visits. "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. 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. Miguel Angel Santiago Caraballo, 30, of Chambersburg, Pa. 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. All it takes is a little fentanylor a microgram of carfentanyl, which is 100 times more potent. Travon Bristol, two counts possession with intent to distribute spice aka K-2 and one count of maintaining a common Nuisance. By Ron Cassie and Lauren LaRocca Photography by BENJAMIN C. TANKERSLEY | July 2018, By Ron Cassie and Lauren LaRocca. "The drug enterprise run by the defendants involved a sophisticated operation including the use of a purported business to act as a front for drug trafficking and the laundering of hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds," Bernard said in a statement. Nine People Indicted in Historic Drug Bust on Maryland Eastern Shore, Eastern Shore Neighbors React to Historic Drug Bust, Governors Office Of Crime Prevention, Youth, And Victim Services, Dorchester County States Attorneys Office, Dorchester County Task Forces, Homeland Security Investigations And Drug Enforcement Administration, Multiple Threats Made to Delaware Schools, Gunshot from Pocket Leads to Multiple Charges for Milford Man, UPDATE: Delaware Man Fatally Shot Near Felton Identified, Two Salisbury Men Arrested on Multiple Rape and Weapon Charges, Recreational Crabbing Regulation Changes in Chesapeake Bay, Transparency Requirements for Group Health Plans, Possession of large amount of controlled dangerous substance, Distribution of large amount of controlled dangerous substance, 2 counts of conspiracy to distribute narcotic, Possession with intent to distribute narcotics, 2 counts of possession with intent to distribute narcotics, Conspiracy with intent to distribute narcotics, 3 counts conspiracy to distribute large amounts of narcotics, 3 counts conspiracy to distribute narcotics, Rifle/shotgun possession by disqualified person, 2 counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 4 counts conspiracy to distribute narcotics, Firearm possession with a felony conviction, Possession of controlled dangerous substance not-marijuana, Conspiracy to distribute large amounts of controlled dangerous substances, 2 counts possession of controlled dangerous substances not-marijuana, 2 counts of conspiracy to possession with intent to distribute narcotics, 2 counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 3 counts of conspiracy with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 3 counts of use of a firearm in drug trafficking, 2 counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance not marijuana, Possession of more than 10 grams of marijuana. Torri Deann Richardson, 37, and Roger Dean Saylor III, 30, were. I fully bought into the War on Drugs and what Reagan was doing, he says. HAGERSTOWN, Md. Those charged are: Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as "Papi," 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland and the Dominican Republic Williams is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. y any definition, the epidemic in this part of Maryland, a state with one of the top five death rates from opioids in the country, is among the worst anywhere. Then he went from eating it to snorting it. In recent decades, theyve swapped roles. Washington County > Washington County Maryland Narcotics Task Force. If effective, they will be a start in rebuilding Hagerstowns economy and, ultimately, its quality of life. People began to say, Oh, if it can happen to that family, it can happen to my family, Sterling says. District of New Jersey (973) 645-2888. Kevin Simmers relished locking up drug users, no matter how little crack they had on them. Beckette was charged with three counts each of intent to distribute narcotics and possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not marijuana, according to online court records. Just like all shopping centers it's half empty now and easy to find parking.
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