Somerset duo arrested for felony drug delivery, possession of stolen gun
SOMERSET — Law enforcement officers knocked on a local attorney's door in the borough Friday afternoon in a search for a wanted escapee.
The homeowner, Jon Barkman, answered their knock and according to Trooper Ryan Platt in a probable-cause affidavit, he, Trooper Bradley Ditzler and two Somerset Borough police officers were given consent to search his residence for the wanted individual, whom they had been searching for at various other locations throughout the day.
Platt wrote that upon entering the residence he could see down a hallway and into the rear den.
"I observed through a glass door, a skinny male running around the room, throwing items, closing boxes and tossing blankets and other items around. It appeared the male was hiding or concealing items within the room," according to the affidavit.
"Upon entry into the room, a male and female (later identified as Nicholas St. Clair, 39, and Rosalin Carey, 30, both of Somerset) were present and a scale and stamp bags were observed in plain view in the room. A consent search was conducted," according to Somerset District Attorney Molly Metzgar in a media release.
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Once inside the room, the troopers and officers saw syringes, empty stamp bags stamped "Exit" and "After Hours," a digital scale and packaging materials on and around a coffee table, Platt wrote.
The officers contacted Barkman and told him of the situation. He told them the duo was staying at his residence for about a week, specifically in the den. They were not paying rent and no one else had been in his residence during the time they were there. He permitted the officers to search the den of the residence for narcotics and related items, according to the affidavit.
Police found 14 bricks of suspected heroin (nine of which were stamped “EXIT”) and a large bag of suspected methamphetamine, Metzgar said.
Both St. Clair and Carey had stamp bags marked “EXIT” in their pockets, she said.
A Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun was seized after it was found stuffed down in a couch in the room. The suspected drugs were found on another couch under a blanket, Platt wrote.
"Pittsburgh Police Department confirmed the handgun was reported as stolen," Metzgar said.
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St. Clair and Carey were arrested and charged with felony possession with intent to deliver and receiving stolen property and misdemeanors (illegal) drug possession, use and/or posssession of drug paraphernalia, small amount of marijuana for personal use and tampering with physical evidence.
The pair were lodged in the Somerset County Jail instead of $100,000 bond each. The duo are tentatively scheduled for preliminary hearings before District Judge Scott Walker of Somerset at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset duo arrested for felony drug delivery, stolen gun
