Michael Anthony Holland, 36, of Hurlock, Maryland. We have more kids living with their grandparents and a greater need for foster parents. 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. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession of heroin. Kristie Lockhard, a 38-year-old recovering addict volunteering at the event, says when she first started using heroin in 1999, she would drive to Baltimore two or three times a day to buy it. She highlighted not just the personal toll of the opioid epidemic on families but decreasing property values, its effect on businesses and workforce participation rates, and the immense strain placed on the citys police, EMS, and fire department budgets. Corey Diehl, two counts of distribution of heroin. A Hagerstown. 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. You have permission to edit this article. He blames forces beyond the citys reach, as well as futile and often misguided leadership. Its like watching a slow train crash coming that you dont know how to stop.. 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. 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. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence. As a result of those search warrants, police recovered over 18 kilograms of cocaine, 2.7 kilograms of heroin/fentanyl, 5.9 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 170 pounds of marijuana and approximately 34 firearms along with money believed to be connected to the drug operation. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. The opioid trade has become so lucrative here that dealers from Baltimore and even New York travel to Hagerstown, and often farther into West Virginia, because they can earn up to $40 more a gram for heroin and a similarly higher profit margin for fake pills, like the counterfeit, fentanyl-laced Vicodin that killed Prince. ; Cody William Grant, 26, of 826 Dewey Ave., Apt. Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. Some folksa waitress with an apron tied around her waist, a guyin construction gearare clearly stopping by on their way to a job. 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. Police say most of these deals happened in broad daylight. Spain is being held at the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. Ive been a right-wing Republican all my life, Simmers says. February 21, 2023. Police said a more than three-year investigation. After the public schools and hospital, the largest employers in Washington County today are the sprawling Citi and First Data call centers. 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. Youll see people dressed up nice to see a play or film, and you have addicts walking around, says Matthew Hast, a sculptor who lives at Engine Room. 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. The first three municipality lawsuits against drugmakersall Ohio casesare scheduled to be heard in U.S. District Court in Cleveland early next year. He was released after posting his $5,000 bond. So far in 2020, the rate of overdoses in the county has increased with 83 non-fatal . He liked the feeling the Vicodin gave him and began to sometimes take the pills just for that hydrocodone buzz. A Hagerstown appliance store was allegedly used as a hub for the illegal activities. Dwayne Unglebower, four counts of possession with intent to distribute spice, three counts of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. 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. Its nearly impossible to find a family, including those among the Hagerstown Police Department and City Council, that has not been affected by the towns still-escalating opioid epidemic. Local Hagerstown, MD. 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. 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. The Washington County Narcotics Task Force received assistance from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Hagerstown Police . 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. Information entered into this system will be submitted to the Washington County Narcotics Task Force only. The NFT is housed within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at the DEA's Hagerstown Office. Maryland bust nets $1M in drugs, 9 arrests, 34 guns Authorities said they seized more than $1 million in drugs, including 18 kilograms of cocaine, 2.7 kilograms of heroin and . , 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. 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. (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.) On June 29, the task force said agents presented cases to a Grand Jury that resulted in the indictment of 16 Hagerstown residents. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Kevin Simmers relished locking up drug users, no matter how little crack they had on them. 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. In recent decades, theyve swapped roles. The C&O (Chesapeake and Ohio) Canal, which passes through Washington County and primarily transported coal, was already in operation by then, having been completed in 1850. But there is often trauma, or simply the stress of living in poverty, that is putting them under intense pressure.. Theres an unmistakable world-wearinesswritten into their faces. Joseph Archie Spain III, 44, of Preston, Maryland. Law enforcement determined that the reported vehicle was registered to Smith and that the unit had been rented to Smith under a fraudulent New York State drivers license that bore Smiths photograph and the alias Michael Silver. MARTINSBURG Allegedly using Top 3 Resources, an appliance store in Hagerstown, Maryland, as a front for having and selling controlled substances, 15 Eastern Panhandle residents were among those charged in an expansive drug-trafficking operation. Baltimore, Md. District of New Jersey (973) 645-2888. Bernard had high praise for the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved, saying "they did a tremendous job. Kevin Simmers, a retired Hagerstown police officer, lost his 19-year-old daughter to an overdose and is now building a womens recovery center, Brookes House. This isnt political. Daily, he watches people, mostly in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, selling and scoring drugs in the citys central parking lot behind the gallery. Others sell or trade their methadone or bupe (opioid medications used to suppress withdrawal symptoms) to buy the real thing, faking drug tests to game the system. 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. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. HAGERSTOWN (WJZ) --Seventeen Hagerstown residents and one Frederick resident were among 34 arrested Wednesday morning on indictments in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Kevin and Dana Simmers at the future site of Brooke's House. / CBS Baltimore. The Frederick Police Department is seeking assistance locating a 17-year-old male, who has been missing since June. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. I was on the other side, and I get it, and people have every right to make that point.. Torri Deann Richardson, 37, and Roger Dean Saylor III, 30, were. Still, they are something of a Hail Mary pass for municipalities. We need to maintain a sense of hope. A locked padlock Margerette Derosiers, 28, of Federalsburg, Maryland. 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. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. But the sad fact is that in 2018, Phoenix Health Center drawsmore people downtown than anything else on a Saturday. 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. This pooling of investigative resources benefits each investigative unit with increased manpower, less duplication of effort, and by coordinating the targeting of drug offenders. 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. Smith accessed the storage unit on 39 separate occasions and obtained at least 250 grams of narcotics during his visits. 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. 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. Additionally, through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, who were Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. Though extreme, the transition seemed gradual. Forget Special Agent in Charge Washington, DC @DEAWashingtonDC June 29, 2022 Contact: Public Information Office Phone Number: (571) 362-1934 For Immediate Release On Monday, task force agents said they found Oliver with a significant amount of heroin. Nine arrested in early morning drug bust in Westernport. 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. With the highways and economic factors, its all a perfect storm.. "If they just had a pipefine . , 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. On Monday, the following people were brought into custody: Terry Ernede Jr., two counts of distribution of heroin. A list of the indicted individuals is available on the U.S. Department of Justice website. 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. 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. 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? Lock For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorneys Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. 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 . 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. Breezy Jill Beckette, 22, of 807 Hamilton Blvd. Justin Ernest Riggs, 33, was arrested Saturday and is accused of leaking information to a drug trafficking organization . Ive seen growth in investor confidence, says Director of Community & Economic Development Jill Frick Thompson, attributing it to the citys 10-year plan. 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. I fully bought into the War on Drugs and what Reagan was doing, he says. Arrest made in Feb. 5 Hagerstown homicide. Simms is being held at the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. July 28, 2021 / 2:11 PM And now, Hagerstowns unique coordinates, once its greatest asset, play a leading role in enabling its public health crisis. It could not be determined Wednesday if those arrested remained in custody or were on pre-trial release. The trail, which he helped develop, is primarily for economic development but also gives residents a sense of place and pride in their community. Others walk from nearby apartments. orking with Philadelphia-based Urban Partners, the city has put together a 10-year City Center Plan, which began in 2014, to enhance the towns quality of life and attract new developers, investors, and businesses. Hagerstown built automobiles, bottled Coca-Cola, made shoes, clothing, furniture, and Breyers ice cream, and was the worlds largest manufacturer of pipe organs. Tyler and Eddie Ware pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl on October 28, 2020, and January 11, 2021; respectively. When his Vicodin prescription ended, he started buying it on the street, until 5-milligram Vicodins werent enough. They buy the stuff to cut it, the right color dye, and press in a number or an initial, and it looks like the real thingPercocet or whatever.. Over a period of about three years, he went from prescription Vicodin to shooting up heroin. That investigation led to the Narcotics Task Force obtaining 9 search warrants. Having beautiful open spaces is important, and its important to have a connection to your community, says city engineer Rodney Tissue, who moved to Hagerstown in 1986 and raised his two daughters here. The state Attorney General's Office announced that 13 people, including a dietary sergeant at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Anne Arundel County, were indicted on charges they. Hagerstown, Washington County closer to seeing some opioid settlements, Fatal drug overdoses hit record levels during COVID, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy, Ana Ercilia Luna, 36, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Juan Manuel De La Rosa-Tejeda, also known as Little Papi, 35, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Daniel Inoa-Rodriguez, also known as Danny, 21, of Hagerstown, Tyrone Lewis, also known as "Roc," 42, of Hagerstown, Edwin Orrillio, also known as J Money, 34, of Hagerstown, Carlos M. Nunez-Arias, also known as Charlote, 51, of Hagerstown, Edson Velasquez-Lopez, 50, of Martinsburg, Chelsea Nicole Pinkcett, 33, of Martinsburg, Ronald MichaelBowers, 52, of Martinsburg, Devron Jerel Brown, also known as Country, 33, of Martinsburg. 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. Later, outside a Rotary Club meeting, Keller talks more optimistically about the citys current efforts to tackle the crisis. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. Another resident artist, Anthony Jones Jr., is a recovering cocaine addict and alcoholic who credits artand Engine Roomas part of his salvation, giving him a sense of purpose and allowing him to be creative rather than self-destructive. The crisis, he says, is driving a dramatic increase in infant mortality rates, a bellwether for other social problems. Thats a lot of drugs, Kerns said Wednesday in a phone interview. Four people were apprehended, three in relation to the possession of controlled substances, and one on an outstanding warrant. Holland is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center without bond. 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, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamines in Caroline and Dorchester counties and parts of Delaware. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Attorneys Christina A. Hoffman and Joan Mathias, who are prosecuting the case. Hagerstown, MD 3 days ago. The man seemed nervous. 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. Grant was treated at Meritus Medical Center and released to authorities, Kerns said. Methadone, he argues, is a drug just like heroin. He found an opiate specialist doctor and took Suboxone for about a year, then safely weaned off. There wasnt a door that I knocked on when I was campaigning for City Council that people didnt say heroin and the opioid crisis was the number one issue, Keller says. 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. To me, the urban improvement project is huge. George Wallace campaigned here in 1968 and 1972. 2023 Washington County. We get to engage and feel like were being a positive influence on the city.. Big out-of-town industries such as Fairchild Aircraft, which once employed 10,000 people and closed its plant in 83, and Mack Trucks, which arrived in 1961 (and still makes trucks here, although it employs fewer people), were controlled from a distance and had no stake in the community, Elliott asserts. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. But he moved his family to Pennsylvania a couple years ago, leaving Hagerstown behind. 6:15 AM. NEWARK, NJTwo members of an alleged drug trafficking ring based . 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. Its low-income, and I think its hard for people to find and keep employment there, he says. For the past three years, the Simmerses have been working to build Brookes House in Washington County.

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