Published: June 24, 2009 10:09 pm      

10 arrested in Pa. drug raids; Mount Savage man wanted

BEDFORD, Pa. —In what is being called Operation Sunburn, the Bedford County Drug Task Force and Pennsylvania State Police arrested 10 people early Tuesday on drug distribution charges.

All of the defendants were arraigned throughout the morning at the Office of Magisterial District Judge Kathy Calhoun after being charged with drug offenses that included possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute.

“Operation Sunburn is the culmination of nearly a year of intelligence gathering, investigation, and controlled undercover purchases of drugs. The defendants arrested in today’s raid include various levels of dealers of numerous controlled substances, and range from common pill pushers to marijuana dealers to heroin suppliers.

The defendants range in age from 19 to 58 years old, and reside in various parts of the county: Everett, Saxton, Bedford, New Paris, Hopewell, Manns Choice, and there was even a suspect from Maryland,” said Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins.

Those arrested included Sally Jean Detwiller, 58, West Main Street, Everett; who was jailed on bond of $10,000; Steven Glenn Mitchell, 27, Cummings Street, Johnstown, on $75,000 bond; Paul Richard Stufft, 48, Milligans Cove Road, Manns Choice, on $15,000 bond; Travis Colvin, 19, Branch Street, Saxton, on bond of $25,000; Joey Lynn Brumbaugh, 32, Buckhorn Lane, Hopewell, on bond of $15,000;

Larry D. Brest, 51, Quaker Valley Road, New Paris, on $10,000 bond; Tammie Lynn Wylie, 36, Penn Street, Bedford, on $15,000 bond; Julie Ann Davis, 40, Industrial Avenue, Bedford, on bail of $15,000; Diana Marie Tew, 51, Clear Ridge Road, Everett,on $15,000 bond and James William Rhodes, 36, Bedford Valley Road, Bedford, on $15,000 bond.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Maryland police were attempting to locate Travis Robert Platt, 29, of Sunnyside Row, Mount. Savage who was also wanted on charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute., Higgins said.

In addition, four Bedford youths, ages 14 to 17, were also charged with alleged violations of the Controlled Substance Act.

During service of the warrants, police seized an additional 216.3 grams of marijuana, $576.00 in cash, 450 doses of various prescription pills, and an assortment of drug paraphernalia.

“I should note, that while the number of defendants arrested today is significantly less than the number we have arrested in previous drug raids, this decrease is really just a reflection of the major dent that we have put in the drug trade in Bedford County over the last five (5) years. Due to the efforts of our drug task force, it is getting harder and harder to buy drugs in Bedford County, and that is an accomplishment of which I am very proud,” said Higgins.

“Our Drug Task Force Officers work tirelessly to rid our community of the ravages of the drug trade. The continued commitment and cooperation of local law enforcement in Bedford, Everett, and Saxton, has been vital to the success of the Bedford County Drug Task Force. As we have been doing since 2004, the Bedford County District Attorney’s Office will aggressively prosecute these offenders, and seek appropriate penalties,” he said.

The Bedford County District Attorney’s Office continues to strongly urge anyone with any information relating to Drugs and Controlled Substances in Bedford County to call the Drug Task Force Hotline at 1-866-DRUG-INFO.