Instead, he sought help by way of Suboxone (the commercial name for a combination of buprenorphineand naloxone), which he considers a miracle. A locked padlock Baltimore, Maryland Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. ; Cody William Grant, 26, of 826 Dewey Ave., Apt. The following agencies maintain drop boxes to drop off your not-needed prescription medication. But after 50 years of decline, Elliott and others say downtown is finally showing signs of recovery, even if it is a long road ahead. According to a 2016 report from the U.S. surgeon general, only one in 10 people with an addiction problem receives treatment. Citing a release from the U . Inside the bedroom, Heather Strausbaugh sat talking with her client the conversation ranged from nightlife and bars to their families. Patrica Diaz,four counts of possession with intent to distribute spice, three counts of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. Hagerstown, MD 2 days ago. HAGERSTOWN, Md. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. Domestic Cannabis Suppression / Eradication Program, Red Ribbon Toolkit - Resources For Your Community, DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Intelligence Research Specialist Job Announcements, Schedule A Hiring Authority: Intelligence Research Specialist, Privacy Impact Assessment and Management Information Systems, Victim Witness Assistance Program Resources. High 56F. Now, however, nearly all of the rails leading into downtown have been removed. Simmers, an outgoing, thick-shouldered 53-year-old, joined the military out of high school in the early 1980s with the intention of going into law enforcement. 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. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence. Lewis Chamberlain, two counts of distribution of heroin. Multiple law enforcement agencies ultimately provided assistance with the investigation. Woolford is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. 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. This designation provides local agents enforcement powers anywhere in the United States. (Photos from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office) Holland is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center without bond. The indictment also lists items requested for forfeiture that include more than $400,000 in cash, a .22 caliber pistol, ammunition, and six vehicles, all believed to be proceeds from the drug trafficking conspiracy. he one place in Maryland that has had a long struggle with heroin use is Baltimore, of course. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Bernard had high praise for the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved, saying "they did a tremendous job. Baltimore, Maryland - Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.. District of New Jersey (973) 645-2888. 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 arrests were made during an eight-week investigation that was centered in the Queen City Drive and Park Street areas and was launched in response to complaints from citizens, businesses and visitors concerning the solicitation of prostitution. . Four people were apprehended, three in relation to the possession of controlled substances, and one on an outstanding warrant. Before long, he was buying heroin because it was cheaper than pills, and he went from snorting to injecting it, simply to maintain the same highand eventually just to function, if you could call it that. in Hagerstowns North End, according to Lt. Todd Kerns, who served as the task forces director in 2013. Police say most of these deals happened in broad daylight. Hagerstown built automobiles, bottled Coca-Cola, made shoes, clothing, furniture, and Breyers ice cream, and was the worlds largest manufacturer of pipe organs. DEA agents and partner agencies in Western Maryland are seeing a resurgence of one-pot meth labs in the area -- noting more incidents of meth labs in the area this year than the last 5 years combined. 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. Quicker than ordering a pizza.". The rest of the state did not share that history, and Hagerstown and towns like it are dealing with something entirely new. Thats everyone I know. Information for Victims of 1st Million Dollars, LLC. Investigators have seized 8.6 kilograms of cocaine, 1.02 kilograms of heroin and 12 ounces of cocaine base. Others walk from nearby apartments. The first three municipality lawsuits against drugmakersall Ohio casesare scheduled to be heard in U.S. District Court in Cleveland early next year. I was gonna overdose and kill myself.. Contact WCNTF if you have information on these persons (301) 791-3205, (Use the blue dots to scroll the list of wanted persons). October of 2011, I woke up one day and thought, this is the day you die or the day you get clean. Because of that, its residents have more money and higher expectations, and a strong restaurant base and downtown arts and culture district has grown there, sustained by its community. HAGERSTOWN, Md. CDS Possession/Use of Cocaine and Derivatives CDS Possession/Use of Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl) CDS Sale/Manufacturing Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl), CDS Sale/Manufacturing Other Dangerous Drugs CDS Possession/Use Opium (Heroin) CDS Sale/Manufacturing Cocaine, CDS Possession/Use- Cocaine CDS Possession/Use of Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl) CDS With Intent to Distribute Narcotics, CDS Possession- Not Cannabis CDS Possession/Use, (Use the blue dots to scroll the list of recent arrests). Just like all shopping centers it's half empty now and easy to find parking. "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. 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. On Monday, task force agents said they found Oliver with a significant amount of heroin. Its hope or heroin out here.. The charges includeconspiracy to distribute drugs, possession with intent to distribute drugs, and money laundering. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; and Sheriff Douglas Mullendore . Prosecutors allege that Luna Mota, the owner of Top 3 Sources, was using the West Washington Street store to keep and sell drugs. In 2016 (the most recent year available), an average of 113 prescriptions for opioids were written for every 100 Washington County residentsnearly twice the national average. "That is a snapshot, one day in the time of this case so that tells you that over the whole year of the investigation the breadth of this conspiracy and this illegal enterprise," Bernard said. HAGERSTOWN (WJZ) --Seventeen Hagerstown residents and one Frederick resident were among 34 arrested Wednesday morning on indictments in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Call (240) 382-2757 or get your auth barcode quickly online. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession of heroin. Attorneys Christina A. Hoffman and Joan Mathias, who are prosecuting the case. This isnt political. That investigation led to the Narcotics Task Force obtaining 9 search warrants. Politically, Washington County has always tilted right. For the past 44 years, since Valley Mall was built on the outskirts of town, shuttering the department stores, retail shops, restaurants, theaters, and five and dimes, there have been hopes of reviving Hagerstowns once-thriving city center. Hagerstown, Md. 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. Authorities are reporting 12 people have been charged with sex offenses, and seven victims have been placed into the harm reduction program with the Washington County Health Department. Hagerstown, MD 3 days ago. 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. As the former Supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts for Washington County Public Schools, Rob Hovermale was involved in conversations as early as 2000 about opening a public arts high school in Hagerstowntalks that were largely dismissed at the time. 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. NTF has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Hagerstown Resident Office and works closely with Hagerstown Police Department's Street Crime Unit. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. All it takes is a little fentanylor a microgram of carfentanyl, which is 100 times more potent. William Miller, one count of distribution of heroin. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. However, the shops we visited had good deals and were brightly lit, clean and had nice staff. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. A huge component of this initiative includes a $40-million effort, started in 2017, which will expand three key institutionsthe University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, the Maryland Theatre, and Barbara Ingram School for the Artswith a slated completion date of spring of 2020. People often use the term self-medicating to describe why people use drugs or alcohol, says Ron Zuskin, a licensed clinical social worker and former University of Maryland faculty member who has worked in Western Maryland. on the U.S. Department of Justice website. Meanwhile, health care, housing, and education costs have skyrocketed over the ensuing decades, but wages, adjusted for inflation, have remained essentially flat in Hagerstown, growing just 5 percent in total over that 25-year span. George Wallace campaigned here in 1968 and 1972. Still at largewere Mota, Luna, Rodriguez, Longus, Rose,Orrillio,Velasquez-Lopez,Pinkcett, Gregory, Brown and Nunez-Arias, authorities said. Four people were apprehended, three in relation to the possession of controlled substances, and one on an outstanding warrant. 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. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Its true that from the outside, the county seat of some 40,000 people still looks a bit like Mayberry, with its turn-of-the-century architecture, elegant City Park, church spires, tidy sidewalks, and walkable streets. Andre Luther Woolford, 33, of Hurlock, Maryland. 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. 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. This pooling of investigative resources benefits each investigative unit with increased manpower, less duplication of effort, and by coordinating the targeting of drug offenders. The NFT is housed within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)at the DEAs Hagerstown Office. Ive seen growth in investor confidence, says Director of Community & Economic Development Jill Frick Thompson, attributing it to the citys 10-year plan. The Caroline County Drug Task Force started the investigation by looking into the operation of a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large amount of cocaine, opioids,. An official website of the United States government. Earlier this spring, Keller, the city councilwoman who lost her best friend to an overdose, announced that the city would be joining several hundred municipalities, counties, and states in pursuing legal action against the nations largest drugmakers, alleging that they played a key role in launching the opioid epidemic. He moved toThe Frederick News-Postin 1989 but lived in Hagerstown until 2000. Stay up to date with the latest community news written by award-winning editors and local reporters. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Six years ago, at an I-81 coalition meeting of stakeholders, Western Maryland state police commander Lt. Mike Fluharty coined the phrase Heroin Highway to describe Hagerstowns I-81/I-70 nexus. But how many people do you know that have been attacked by a terrorist? More than 1,000 pounds of prescription medicine is collected in the first two hours of the event, which is held in an empty parking lot outside the county health offices. During the early morning hours of December 20 th, the Allegany County Sheriff's Office with the assistance of numerous allied agencies executed search and seizure warrants at three separate locations in the Town of Westernport. Add to all of this one more factor: Three prisons in Hagerstown, includings two state penitentiaries, have had a habit, according to local law enforcement officials, of leaving ex-offenders in town once theyre released. He was released after posting his $5,000 bond. Timothy Michael Ford, age 23 of Hagerstown, MD (1) Possession of heroin (2) Kimberly Thompson, one count of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. This is across the boardand Ill be the first to agree that attitudes are changing because more white people are dyingthats totally fair. In a town with two traditional public high schoolsNorth High and South Highit has become the norm for incoming generations to attend several funerals before seeing their first classmate get married. The 30-count indictment alleges the operation trafficked large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown to Berkeley County, West Virginia, between. Now its everywhere here, she says. (DG) - A sex trafficking operation was dismantled in Washington County. . Doctor Explains. The number of child abuse cases has gone up. Rise of a street boss By 1973,. o understand the DNA of Hagerstown, you have to go back to the 19th-century industrial boom. 2 counts of conspiracy to commit possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 3 counts of using a firearm in drug trafficking, Possession of a controlled dangerous substance not marijuana. Including Brookes father. In the early 1980s, King ran a large drug operation in East Baltimore and was a well-known figure, driving a DeLorean sports car and smoking with a bejeweled Zippo. Robison. -- The number of meth cases, particularly of one-pot meth labs in Western Maryland, has been experiencing a recent surge. On February 19, city health officials reported the number of heroin overdoses to which EMS crews and city police responded to. Its a huge step forward. From the early 1970s onward, there was a vacuumeconomically, socially, politically, culturally. Travon Bristol, two counts possession with intent to distribute spice aka K-2 and one count of maintaining a common Nuisance. U.S. Attorney's Office December 21, 2012. All rights reserved. Their daughter, who grew up playing soccer and basketball, became hooked on pills by 18 and then turned to heroin. His associate, 33-year-old Rodney Gaines, or "Butta" was also arrested. 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. Additionally, in Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, who were Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. On Monday, the following people were brought into custody: Terry Ernede Jr., two counts of distribution of heroin. Prosecutors alleged they conspired to sell 100 grams or more of heroin, 500 grams or more of cocaine and . Hitachi Rail Factory "on track" in Hagerstown. Opioid crisis:Hagerstown, Washington County closer to seeing some opioid settlements, Drug deaths:Fatal drug overdoses hit record levels during COVID. The drug task force is comprised of sworn law enforcement officers and contributionsfrom theCaroline County Sheriff's Department, Maryland State Police, Maryland Natural Resources Police, Caroline County States Attorney's Office, and the Denton Police Department. In some cases, the defendants face penalties of five to 40 years in prison, 20 years in prison and 10 years to life, Bernard said. Christine Jenkins, one count of distribution of heroin. HAGERSTOWN, MD Five Hagerstown residents have been arrested after a major drug and weapons bust February 9th announced by The Washington County Sheriff's Office and its law enforcement partners this week. 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. There were a few people dedicated to establishing a Maryland orchestra, a few people trying to revive the Maryland Theatre. , Rep. Hoyer on legacy, traditions and Speaker McCarthy, How much more DMV residents will pay for healthcare, Husband of missing DC real estate executive arrested, Virginia H.S. And for the past two-and-a-half decades, the city has taken a public health approach to addiction, offering methadone programs, needle exchanges, HIV testing, and inpatient treatment opportunities before the pharmaceutical industry dumped OxyContin and other opioids onto a nave market. The NFT is housed within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at the DEA's Hagerstown Office. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence. The following people were indicted during the investigation: Justin Aaron Spain, 41, of Lanham, Maryland. The school started with 85 students but this year surpassed 300, even though that meant holding classes in hallways and stairwells. 2023 www.heraldmailmedia.com. Jim Robison, Director for the Washington County Narcotics Task Force. Ten years ago, the Hagerstown native started having seizures once or twice a week that left his muscles tense, his bones aching, and his head feeling like it might explode. "If they just had a pipefine," he said.