"If they just had a pipefine," he said. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. 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. 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. The NTF is responsible for the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of persons who violate the controlled dangerous substance laws of Maryland, regardless of the sophisitication of the illicit operation. 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. Economists studying national trends say people should simply vacate towns like Hagerstownand seek work elsewhere. All rights reserved. Read More. A Hagerstown appliance store owner is charged with using it as a front for an illegal drug operation estimated to havehandled millions of dollars worth of drugs and proceeds, according to federal authorities. 100 West Washington Street Hagerstown, MD 21740. , 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Washington Daily Voice serves the towns of: Boonsboro, Fountainhead-Orchard Hills, Hagerstown, Halfway, Maugansville, Paramount-Long Meadow, Robinwood, Smithsburg. 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. 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. "This is the largest drug bust in my time as a prosecutor and as the elected state's attorney," Caroline County State's Attorney Joe Riley said. The mayor and City Council at the time didnt want it. Its a huge step forward. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The 30-count indictment charges the residents of Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the Dominican Republic with trafficking large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown to locations in Berkeley County, West Virginia, from August 2020 to June 2021. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Situated near the Potomac River and what was once Western Maryland and West Virginia coal country, Hagerstown served as a vital gateway to the fertile Midwest. NEWARK, NJTwo members of an alleged drug trafficking ring based . Joseph Archie Spain III, 44, of Preston, Maryland. The Frederick Police Department is seeking assistance locating a 17-year-old male, who has been missing since June. Rise of a street boss By 1973,. Several weapons were seized, including two stolen handguns, as well as rifles and shotguns, Kerns said. I fully bought into the War on Drugs and what Reagan was doing, he says. The task force was assisted by the Washington County Special Response Team and the Hagerstown regional office of the Drug Enforcement Agency, according to an email from Kerns. 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. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( This designation provides local agents enforcement powers anywhere in the United States. The man seemed nervous. George Wallace campaigned here in 1968 and 1972. Although the city has seen little interest from developers for the empty lots along the trail, Tissue says several nearby buildings have been purchased and rehabbed. Prosecutors alleged they conspired to sell 100 grams or more of heroin, 500 grams or more of cocaine and . Kevin and Dana Simmers at the future site of Brooke's House. The indictments were returned July 20, said Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard of the northern district of West Virginia. When his Vicodin prescription ended, he started buying it on the street, until 5-milligram Vicodins werent enough. His associate, 33-year-old Rodney Gaines, or "Butta" was also arrested. 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. 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. Weve been struggling for decades and hopefully this will get the ball rolling, she says. The 16-bed treatment project for women is partly to honor their daughter, who once shared her wish of getting off drugs and opening such a center with her parents, but it is also borne of frustration, as the family repeatedly struggled to get the help their daughter needed. NTF has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Hagerstown Resident Office and works closely with Hagerstown Police Department's Street Crime Unit. Inside the bedroom, Heather Strausbaugh sat talking with her client the conversation ranged from nightlife and bars to their families. She mentions the increased training for Narcan, a medication that can prevent fatal overdoses, across the city. There were a few people dedicated to establishing a Maryland orchestra, a few people trying to revive the Maryland Theatre. But how many people do you know that have been attacked by a terrorist? 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. It could not be determined Wednesday if those arrested remained in custody or were on pre-trial release. Maybe longer. Those charged are: Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as "Papi," 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland and the Dominican Republic Then he went from eating it to snorting it. The two have been charged in connection with a drug distribution conspiracy in the Westminster area of Carroll County, Maryland. HAGERSTOWN, Md. 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. After the public schools and hospital, the largest employers in Washington County today are the sprawling Citi and First Data call centers. Grant was treated at Meritus Medical Center and released to authorities, Kerns said. Baltimore, Maryland - Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.. Drug & alcohol testing in Hagerstown, MD at 2 clinics. 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. A drug bust by Hagerstown (MD) Police Department early this morning resulted in the confiscation of crack cocaine and nearly $4,000 in cash. A methadone clinic was not a part of that vision. The National Road, Route 40, began carrying wagon trains through Hagerstown to the Ohio River Valley in 1818. 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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. But the sad fact is that in 2018, Phoenix Health Center drawsmore people downtown than anything else on a Saturday. In 2019, there were 119 non-fatal and 24 fatal overdoses reported in Allegany County. During the execution of the search warrant, Smith informed law enforcement that he had a storage unit in Hagerstown, Maryland, and told officers where he kept the keys to the unit. A release from the Washington County Sheriff's Office revealed the following: 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. The rest of the state did not share that history, and Hagerstown and towns like it are dealing with something entirely new. 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,. a view from the abandoned hospital parking garage across from the antietam street clinic. HAGERSTOWN, Md. Lock It's hard to imagine Hagerstown and similar cities receiving restitution anywhere near the true cost of the opioid epidemic and officials acknowledge that. Multiple law enforcement agencies ultimately provided assistance with the investigation. 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. Now, how many families do you know that have been affected by addiction? Breezy Jill Beckette, 22, of 807 Hamilton Blvd. Nine arrested in early morning drug bust in Westernport. "Drug traffickers don't work nine-to-five hours, so the people investigating this case have to work 24-seven, and this team worked for approximately a year investigating this case," he said. 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. I was on the other side, and I get it, and people have every right to make that point.. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Baltimore Magazine. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The drugs seized during the investigation amounted to 8.6 kilograms of cocaine, 1.02 kilograms of heroin, and 12 ounces of cocaine base "crack," with a street value of approximately $471,000. The crisis, he says, is driving a dramatic increase in infant mortality rates, a bellwether for other social problems. Woolford is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. An official website of the United States government. 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. 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. 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. She can be reached via email at julieg@herald-mail.com. Travon Bristol, two counts possession with intent to distribute spice aka K-2 and one count of maintaining a common Nuisance. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. Julie E. Greene is a reporter for The Herald-Mail. Spain is being held without bond at the Caroline County Detention Center. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Magnitude 2.0 earthquake reaches Montgomery County, Best smart home devices for older users, according, How to get started on spring cleaning early, according, Worried about your student using ChatGPT for homework? 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. 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. 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. 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. "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. Kimberly Thompson, one count of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. He blames forces beyond the citys reach, as well as futile and often misguided leadership. A dog tied up behind Byers Market on North Burhans Boulevard. Theyre bringing in students from nearby counties and occasionally out of state. 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.
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