Feb 2, 2005 By Jennifer Harr 4 min read

The Fayette County Drug Task Force and the state police vice unit worked “as an army of one” to serve warrants on 70 alleged drug dealers Tuesday, said District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon. As of noon, Vernon said that more than half of the people on the list were arrested. The sweep, the result of months of undercover investigations in some instances, netted high, mid and low-level drug dealers, she said.

Last fall, Vernon said she asked the task force and vice unit to start organizing a drug sweep to show citizens in the county that law enforcement and prosecutors know about and are taking steps to eradicate the problem.

“Fayette County is plagued by drug use. It’s the nexus of crime here,” Vernon said.

Vernon estimated that one-third of the county’s criminal cases directly involve drug charges. She said a whopping 75 percent of the county’s other criminal cases, 1,842 in 2004, are rooted in drugs. Cases that involve burglary, theft or receiving stolen property often stem from drugs, Vernon said.

Affidavits in some of the bigger arrests of the day indicated alleged one drug dealer had five ounces of powder cocaine, and another had a brick of heroin. Assistant District Attorney Mark D. Brooks said the cocaine would have sold for about $15,000 on the street, and the heroin brick could have been split into 50 individual packets that would have sold for $20 each.

Marijuana, crack cocaine and various prescription drugs were also seized, police said.

Vernon said she is hopeful the sweep will remind county residents just how dedicated law enforcement is to keeping the communities safe.

“This action today is a statement, a major statement, to the drug dealers in Fayette County, to the citizenry of Fayette County, that their law enforcement officers care … that they’re out there working as an army of one.”

At 6 a.m., Vernon said an estimated 56 officers divided into five teams, four of which covered arrests in the northern part of the county. One larger team took over the southern part of the county. Police were expected to continue their work throughout the day.

Vernon said that the number of people sought in the sweep might have been a record in Fayette.

“I don’t know when we’ve ever had that many arrests made in one day,” she said.

She commended the officers for their hours of work in undercover drug buys, and oftentimes-dangerous situations.

The county sheriff’s office, drug task force and state police all participated in the sweep. The task force is made up of municipal police officers.

Many of the suspects were arraigned and given $40,000 straight cash bonds, Vernon said, noting that the bond amount also has to do with the number of prior offenses.

Those arrested were arraigned before District Justices Michael J. Defino and Herbert G. Mitchell Jr., of Brownsville, Robert W. Breakiron of Bullskin Township, Dwight K. Shaner of Dunbar Township and Ronald J. Haggerty Sr. of Connellsville.

Only a partial list of age, addresses, and bond was available at press time.

Those arraigned before Mitchell and Defino were Brian Grooms, 21, of 1152 W. Gibson Ave., Connellsville, $10,000 straight cash bond; Preston Anthony Hill, 19, of 375 Pearl St. Brownsville, $50,000 straight cash bond; and Xavier Edward Thomas, 32, of 325 Cadwallader St., Brownsville, Mitchell, $50,000 percentage bond.

Those arraigned before Breakiron were Jayson A. Motycka, 23, of 158 Van Drive, Connellsville, $50,000 straight bail; Donald Glenn Henry Jr., 37, of Merrit Manor, Connellsville, $40,000 straight bond; Franklin Donald Whipkey, 22, of 918 Aetna St., Connellsville, $40,000 straight bond; Aaron Frances Jeffries, 33, of 504 E. Fayette St., Connellsville, $40,000 straight bond; Kenneth Eugene Showman Jr., 18, of 502 E. Fayette St., Connellsville, $50,000 straight bond; and Dennis Lee Stewart Jr., of 508 Quail Hill Rd., Normalville, $40,000 straight bond.

Additionally arraigned before Breakiron were Tyrone A. Brown, 27, of 569 Main St., Irwin, $40,000 straight bond; Joseph H. Sherwood Jr., 28, of 503 Demuth Rd., Connellsville, $40,000 straight bond; Fred Anthony Simon Jr., 30, of 930 N. Jefferson St., Connellsville, $35,000 straight bond; Bart Maverick Yagla, 18, of 904 S. Pittsburgh St., Connellsville, $50,000 straight bond; Francis Straughters Jr., 21, of 157 N. Fourth St., Connellsville, $35,000 straight bond; Mark D. Tressler, 51, of 11 Gibson Terrace, Connellsville, $50,000 straight bond; Caleb Langgle, 23, of 359 Narrows Rd., Connellsville, $40,000 straight bond; and Dale Gould, 65, of 331 N. Pittsburgh St., Connellsville, $20,000 percentage bond.

Those arraigned before Haggerty were Jeremy Showman, 21, of 1413 S. Pittsburgh St., Connellsville; Barry Brooks, 19, of 610 E. Fayette St., Connellsville; Dustin Banazak, 24, of 108 E. Patterson Ave., Connellsville; Clarence Nicholson, 21, of 513 Johnson Ave., Connellsville; Dawn Lilley, 21, of 513 Johnson Ave., Connellsville; and Thomas Eperesi, 35, of First Street, South Connellsville.