The National Road, Route 40, began carrying wagon trains through Hagerstown to the Ohio River Valley in 1818. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. 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. Kevin Simmers relished locking up drug users, no matter how little crack they had on them. The seized drugs have a street value of approximately $471,000, according to prosecutors. There were a few people dedicated to establishing a Maryland orchestra, a few people trying to revive the Maryland Theatre. Arrest made in Feb. 5 Hagerstown homicide. To learn more about ChatGPT and how we can inspire students, we sat down with BestReviews book expert, Ciera Pasturel. Plainspoken but good-natured, and a well-respected journalist, Elliott started atTheHerald-Mailin 1970. Just like all shopping centers it's half empty now and easy to find parking. 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. I legitimately thought about that for five or six hours that day. Hagerstown built automobiles, bottled Coca-Cola, made shoes, clothing, furniture, and Breyers ice cream, and was the worlds largest manufacturer of pipe organs. The rear of North and Locust Food Mart. That investigation led to the Narcotics Task Force obtaining 9 search warrants. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. "They represent lives saved from overdose deaths and the continuing nightmare of drug addiction and the never-ending spinoffs of associated crimes from robberies, retail thefts, shootings and others that tear at the very fabric of our great and prosperous community," he said. (DC News Now) The Hagerstown Police Department said officers executed a search and seizure warrant at 115 S. Mulberry St. on Oct. 7, finding fentanyl, crack cocaine, $5,000 cash, and firearms. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. Others arrive in pajamas and sweatpants, barely awake, clutching telltale lockboxes for take-home doses. 2023 Washington County. FBI arrests 30 in drug sweep across Western Pa.; 3 remain at large Police say most of these deals happened in broad daylight. The NFT is housed within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at the DEA's Hagerstown Office. Peanut King: After 37 years in prison, a giant of Baltimore's drug While the most pressing question confronting Hagerstownand other resource-deprived towns in Maryland such as Frostburg, Cumberland, Cambridge, Snow Hill, Elkton, and Edgewoodmay be how to get immediate help to those struggling with addiction, the broader question is more vexing: How does an isolated, blue-collar town recover from the worst drug epidemic in U.S. historyon top of45 years of deindustrialization? 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. An official website of the United States government. Please provide as much information as possible, Your name and address/information is optional. Still, they are something of a Hail Mary pass for municipalities. 544,514 views Jun 30, 2016 $24 million dollars was found stuffed in the wall of a home in what's being called one police department's biggest cash seizure to date. George Wallace campaigned here in 1968 and 1972. Indirectly, they could have a hand at reversing the public health crises in the long run, civic leaders say. October of 2011, I woke up one day and thought, this is the day you die or the day you get clean. These kinds of places are where non-college-educated, white working-class people have been dying in increasing numbers from what Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton referred to in their landmark 2015 paper as deaths of despairsuicide, drug poisoning, and liver diseasewhich are reversing the life expectancy progress that the U.S. has seen over the past 50 years. 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. he one place in Maryland that has had a long struggle with heroin use is Baltimore, of course. Still at largewere Mota, Luna, Rodriguez, Longus, Rose,Orrillio,Velasquez-Lopez,Pinkcett, Gregory, Brown and Nunez-Arias, authorities said. Over a period of about three years, he went from prescription Vicodin to shooting up heroin. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Carroll County drug dealers arrested on federal charges - WMAR Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. She talks enthusiasticallyand genuinelyabout the $40-million downtown revitalization effort and Hagerstowns future. 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. 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. 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. I was on the other side, and I get it, and people have every right to make that point.. The NFT is housed within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)at the DEAs Hagerstown Office. According to a 2016 report from the U.S. surgeon general, only one in 10 people with an addiction problem receives treatment. 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. Hagerstown, MD 2 days ago. Hagerstown, Maryland Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Federal Fentanyl and 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. ; Cody William Grant, 26, of 826 Dewey Ave., Apt. 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. I wanted to knock down doors and haul bad guys off to jail, and thats what I did for 30 years., Since his daughters death, Simmers and Brooke's stepmother, Dana, have been very public about sharing their experience, sparing none of their familys worst moments and pain. 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. The seizures, and the refills, continued for about eight months, then ceased, but Morningstar found himself dependent on the narcoticphysically, mentally, and emotionally. Prosecutors allege that Luna Mota, the owner of Top 3 Sources, was using the West Washington Street store to keep and sell drugs. Frederick, which seems worlds away rather than a mere 20 minutes, has benefitted from its MARC train station, which has grown the town into a bedroom community of D.C. Its also close enough to Baltimore that people make the I-70 commute. Nobody I know. Washington street leading east at the hagerstown public square in 1957. July 28, 2021 / 2:11 PM Home to one-fourth of the countys population, Hagerstown accounts for the majority of those seeking treatment, as well as the majority of overdose fatalities, which included 21 city residents in the first four-and-a-half months of this yeara pace that would, if it continues, triple last years total. Police said a more than three-year investigation. In truth, Hagerstown has a higher poverty rate than Baltimore City, a higher percentage of people under 65 with a disability, lower home-ownership rates, and a lower percentage of its workforce with college degrees. As Western Maryland battles the opioid crisis, meth is surging - DEA Jazzmen Vaughn, one count distribution of heroin and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. 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. CARROLL COUNTY 30-year-old James Samms was arrested for drug distribution conspiracy. We need to maintain a sense of hope. Maryland drug bust involving fentanyl, cocaine 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. We get to engage and feel like were being a positive influence on the city.. 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. A methadone clinic was not a part of that vision. Prosecutors alleged they conspired to sell 100 grams or more of heroin, 500 grams or more of cocaine and . 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. Inside the bedroom, Heather Strausbaugh sat talking with her client the conversation ranged from nightlife and bars to their families. In 2009, an old theater was transformed into BISFA, a magnet arts high school. Shortly after Grant was taken into custody, the task force executed a search-and-seizure warrant at 807 Hamilton Blvd., Kerns said. This has been very beneficial since drug violators frequently move through the tri-state area. The first search was in the 500 block of Lynnehaven Drive in Hagerstown. If you are in immediate danger dial 911. Hagerstown PD's Biggest Drug Bust Caught On Film By Copwatch HTOWN 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. The below persons are wanted or need to be identified by WCNTF at this time for drug violations or involved in a drug investigation. Stephen McCormick, two counts of distribution of cocaine. 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. 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. The indictment seeks forfeiture of $410,016 in cash, six vehicles and a .22-caliber revolver and ammunition. Employment or private drug testing options: 5, 10, 12 panel urine drug tests, DOT drug testing and DOT Random Pool, breath alcohol, EtG 3 day alcohol tests, 90 day hair follicle drug tests. 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. Major Drug and Weapons Bust Announced from February 9th in Hagerstown The number of child abuse cases has gone up. Quicker than ordering a pizza.". 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. Woolford is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. A months-long investigation initiated by citizen complaints resulted in the arrests of two suspected drug dealers Wednesday. The indictment also calls for the forfeiture of $400,000 in cash, a .22 caliber pistol, ammunition and six vehicles, all believed to be proceeds of the drug conspiracy. 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. NOW PLAYING ABOVE. o understand the DNA of Hagerstown, you have to go back to the 19th-century industrial boom. News FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation Grant briefly escaped, fleeing while handcuffed, and was captured a short distance away, Kerns said. Its hope or heroin out here.. Summer Camp registration opens Apri, Congratulations to Boot Barn for celebrating a rib, On behalf of the National Park Service, the Washin, Check out the special events Washington County Rec, In observance of Presidents' Day, Washington Count, Americans with Disabilities Act Information. Opioids may be the deadliest catastrophe to hit Hagerstown, but the current crisis follows a long string of blows to a city that never made the transition from a mechanical to a hi-tech economy. Williams is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. Stay up to date with the latest community news written by award-winning editors and local reporters. in Hagerstowns North End, according to Lt. Todd Kerns, who served as the task forces director in 2013. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. Kevin and Dana Simmers at the future site of Brooke's House. You can imagine as a police officer and a father how I felt, Simmers says. According to Bernard, those charged are: Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as "Papi," 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, and the Dominican Republic Kerns said Anderson was part of an investigation that occurred prior to the search warrant being executed. osh Morningstar could be the poster boy for the use of prescription opioids gone awry. 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. WV State Police cite legal exemptions to deny records involving Images courtesy of Hagerstown police Department. 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. Attorneys Christina A. Hoffman and Joan Mathias, who are prosecuting the case. Butler is being held at the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. Police tactics in Pennsylvania prostitution stings - York Daily Record 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. While this is small victory for the task force, agents say the communitys drug problem is far from over. Herman Mills, a Republican mayor from 1965-1973 who owned several gas stations and stores, was a sort of kingpin of the local ruling class, as Elliott puts itand the last in a long line of businessmen and factory owners investing in Hagerstown. Corey Diehl, two counts of distribution of heroin. Hagerstown Center Of Alleged Drug Conspiracy, Prosecutors Say He is being held at the Washington County Detention Center on a $80,000 bond. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Simms is being held at the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. The steel tracks of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad started carrying locomotives from Baltimore in the same direction, straight through the heart of Hagerstown, two years after the end of the Civil War. Joseph Archie Spain III, 44, of Preston, Maryland. Maybe longer. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. But the current economic picture in Hagerstown stands in stark contrast to the days when it earned its Hub City nicknamewhen five major passenger and freight lines merged here in a way that resembled the spokes of a wheel. Read More. 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. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "If they just had a pipefine . 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. Its a huge step forward. To learn more about ChatGPT and how we can inspire students, we sat down with BestReviews book expert, Ciera Pasturel. Now, however, nearly all of the rails leading into downtown have been removed. 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. 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. Three people were taken into custody in Washington County last week on drug charges involving fentanyl and crack cocaine. 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. Police In Western Maryland Dismantle Sex Trafficking Operation The guilty plea was announced by Jarod Forget,Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s Washington Division; United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; and Sheriff Douglas Mullendore of the Washington County Narcotics Task Force. Across the country, rural addiction rates have surpassed those in urban areas, yet there is still not a single inpatient drug treatment facility in Washington County. College Park mayor, DC COVID Centers to close at the end of March, Mother calls for answers after son killed by police, MTPD: Two teenagers arrested, one had gun, Burglar used Germantown mans toothbrush, razor,, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Robison. 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. Narcotics Task Force | Hagerstown, MD - Official Website Forget Special Agent in Charge Washington, DC @DEAWashingtonDC June 29, 2022 Contact: Public Information Office Phone Number: (571) 362-1934 For Immediate Release Christina Trenton Nee, COO, and Charlie Mooneyhan, CEO, of Wells House. 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. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. Is Hagerstown eating its way to dementia? West Virginia State Police have denied a request to release dash camera footage or body camera footage of an incident on Feb. 12 on Interstate 81 in Berkeley County, W.Va., in which a Hagerstown man died after a struggle with a trooper. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. . Washington County, MD Narcotics Task Force A local taxi company sporadically drops people off. His associate, 33-year-old Rodney Gaines, or "Butta" was also arrested. Several charged in Cumberland area prostitution sting When you cant find work, cant pay your billswho wants to think about that? A Narcotics Cop Loses His Daughter to a Heroin Overdose - The Atlantic 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. I fully bought into the War on Drugs and what Reagan was doing, he says. In 2019, there were 119 non-fatal and 24 fatal overdoses reported in Allegany County. 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. 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. Police seized drugs, cash and weapons from the residence, Kerns said. Smith accessed the storage unit on 39 separate occasions and obtained at least 250 grams of narcotics during his visits. 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. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office arrested and charged 12 people in a drug bust Wednesday. Walter Javier Martinez, 17, was last seen in the area of Wellington Court and may have left in a blue vehicle. Officials in Frederick and Washington Counties seized over $90,000 worth of cocaine and crack cocaine inside of a Hagerstown home. (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.) "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. U.S. Attorney's Office December 21, 2012. When the University System of Maryland satellite campus at University Plaza was established in the city center in 2005, it was the first time anything like that had moved into town in decades: something big, with money behind it and staying power. On June 29, the task force said agents presented cases to a Grand Jury that resulted in the indictment of 16 Hagerstown residents. The bust began in the late afternoon Monday as Grant was contacted to do a deal involving an informant, and was taken into custody inside the Sheetz on Potomac Avenue, Kerns said. HAGERSTOWN, Md. The person arrested on the outstanding warrant was Violet Benjamin, 53, of Hagerstown. Some folksa waitress with an apron tied around her waist, a guyin construction gearare clearly stopping by on their way to a job. Maybe 10-15 percent dont give you any problem and are trying to do the right thing, says Lee Green, an addictions counselor who is also an active member of a 12-step program. Frederick County Sheriff's Office Assists In Taking Down Major Drug
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