Published: April 17, 2007 11:49 am      

Alleged drug dealers nabbed in Bedford County

BEDFORD, Pa. - Narcotics investigators and Pennsylvania State Police arrested 18 alleged drug dealers throughout Bedford County early Monday and issued 10 summonses for other individuals for alleged misdemeanor drug violations.

Dubbed Operation Spring Cleaning, the raids began at about 7 a.m. at various locations throughout the county.

"With today's arrests, 18 more drug dealers are out of business in Bedford County," said Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins. "These arrests were made possible by the coordinated efforts of Bedford County law enforcement and funding provided by Attorney General Tom Corbett.

"The Bedford County Drug Task Force will not rest and will continue to systematically remove these societal plagues from our community by bringing them to justice," said Higgins.

Higgins said Monday's drug raids were the "fourth major drug raid in Bedford County since 2005." He said that the dealers arrested in each of the previous drug raids "with very few exceptions" were convicted and sentenced to state prison terms.

Among those arrested were seven people for alleged distribution of heroin, including Alecia M. Secrist, 19 (four counts) and Amber McGill, 21, both of Bedford; Megan Watkins, 22, of Johnstown; Scott David McCale, 33, Altoona; Corey Thomas Ford, 19, Everett; Ashley Samuelson, 21, New Paris; and John Robert Dunn III, 22, Hopewell.

Katie Burkett, 19, Bedford, was arrested on a charge of delivery of crack cocaine, and Sherry Heister, 33, Hopewell, was charged with obtaining prescription drugs by fraud.

Terry Leroy Ott, 46, Martinsburg, Pa., was charged with manufacture of marijuana as was Rachel A. Wedde, 38, of Buffalo Mills.

Charged with delivery of marijuana were Everett residents Jackie Lee Hafer Jr., 19 (four counts); Sarah S. Zimmerman, 22 (two counts); Michael S. Bartholow, 34; Pamela R. Blades, 46, and Amanda Leigh Wigfield, 26, of Clearville; and Lytton E. Peak III, 31, Bedford.

Kathryn Paige Morningstar, 23, of Wood was charged with false reports to law enforcement and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Following the arrests, all the defendants appeared for arraignment before Magisterial District Judge Kathy S. Calhoun in Everett.

Police also seized three vehicles during the raids. "The commonwealth will be seeking forfeiture of these vehicles, and the proceeds of the sales will be used to fund future drug investigations," said Higgins, who said he welcomes citizens' help in combating the drug problem.

"The Bedford County District Attorney's Office continues to strongly urge anyone with information relating to drugs and controlled substances in Bedford County to call the Drug Task Force Hotline at 1-866-DRUG-INFO. Some of the information that led to today's arrests was received through the Drug Task Force Hotline," he said.