Armed Robbery Suspect, Four Other Easton Residents Named As Alleged Prescription Drug Ring Members

Nine Pennsylvania residents, including recently apprehended armed robbery suspect Kenneth Ennis and four other Easton residents, have been charged with various offenses related to their alleged participation in a prescription drug ring that operated throughout the Lehigh Valley.

An investigation into the alleged ring was launched after the state Attorney General's office received a complaint from a Northampton County doctor claiming that someone from his office had stolen prescription pads and was using them without authorization, according to a press release issued by state Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

Authorities say Alison Monfre, who worked at the Easton doctor's office, wrote multiple prescriptions for oxycodone and signed the doctor's name without his knowledge.

Monfre's boyfriend, Jamarcus Fennell, allegedly then sold the forged prescriptions to acquaintances and also occasionally sold pills from filled scripts on the street. Fennell was committed to Northampton County Prison last summer after being apprehended on four warrants for his arrest and failing to post bail on a wide array of charges, ranging from the delivery of heroin to theft and assault.

Law enforcement agents ran the doctor's DEA registration number and received a Schedule II Report for 2013, which revealed that a total of eight prescriptions were written for seven different people. None of the individuals listed in the report were patients of the doctor, the Attorney General's office said, adding that throughout the course of the investigation nine prescriptions were filled for 840 (15 mg) oxycodone tablets and 180 (30 mg) oxycodone tablets.

Those charged were:
 
Kenneth Ennis, 25, of the 200 block of West Nesquehoning Street, is charged with nine counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, nine counts of identity theft, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of corrupt organizations.

 
Jamarcus Fennell, 23, formerly of the 400 block of Church Street in Easton but currently incarcerated in the Northampton County Prison, is charged with of nine counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, nine counts of identity theft, five counts of receiving stolen property, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of corrupt organizations and one count of possession of a controlled substance.

 
Carl Brown III, 23, of the 700 block of Davis Street, is charged with nine counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, nine counts of identity theft, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of corrupt organizations.
 
 
Shawn McAvoy, 19, of the 500 block of Valley Avenue, is charged with nine counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, nine counts of identity theft, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of corrupt organizations. 

 
Mercedes Werkheiser, 21, of the 100 block of North Seventh Street, is charged with nine counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, nine counts of identity theft, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of corrupt organizations.

Alison Monfre, 33, of the 100 block of Fell Street, Summit Hill, Carbon County, is charged with 13 counts of theft by unlawful taking, nine counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, nine counts of identity theft, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of corrupt organizations.

  

Barbara Monfre, 61, of the 100 block of West Fell Street, Summit Hill, Carbon County, is charged with nine counts of identity theft, eight counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of corrupt organizations.


Terrisa Grube, 42, of Bethlehem, is charged with nine counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, nine counts of identity theft, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of corrupt organizations.
 
 
Lataryn Smith, 21, of Allentown,is charged with nine counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, nine counts of identity theft, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of corrupt organizations.




"In Pennsylvania, there is a direct link between prescription drug abuse and heroin use," Attorney General Kane said. "That is because prescription drug dependency is expensive to maintain, so abusers ultimately turn to heroin as a cheaper, purer, more available alternative."

Man Arrested During Raid Was Out on Bail

An Easton man who was arrested almost exactly one month ago during a police search of his residence and was out on bail was arrested again this morning and faces additional drug charges.

Easton police say Mark Parks Sr., 51, was arrested early this morning after heroin and cocaine were found during a warranted narcotics search of his home at 740 West Wilkes Barre St. Parks will be arraigned later today on charges of possession of heroin and cocaine and also faces charges of delivery of a controlled substance, they added.

On January 10, the same residence was raided by police, who reported they discovered approximately $10,000 worth of heroin, $3,000 worth of marijuana, and a scale at the residence. Parks was arrested and charged with  possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Police say their search is complete at the residence for now; however, they intend to obtain a  search warrant for a garage related to the investigation

Suspect in December West Ward Shooting Arrested

Jared Alvin, 18, who was named as a suspect
in the shooting of a 27-year-old man that occurred in Easton's
West Ward on December 21 has been arrested
and faces multiple charges, Easton police report.
Contributed photo

Jared Alvin, 18, who was named as a suspect in the shooting of a 27-year-old man that occurred in Easton's West Ward on December 21 has been arrested and faces multiple charges, Easton police said Friday night.

Authorities, who had been investigating and seeking Alvin's whereabouts since the shooting, found him in the area of Spruce and Raspberry streets, located between Ferry and Lehigh streets and between South 14th and 15th streets, in the city's West Ward at about 4 p.m. on Friday, January 31. He was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Northampton County Sheriff’s Department and is expected to arraigned at at Northampton County Central Booking sometime tonight, according to a Easton Police Department media release.

Alvin, who police have formerly alleged is a suspected gang member, faces charges of aggravated assault, robbery, criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the shooting on Dec. 21.

Easton police said the department will also be filing charges against Alvin for narcotics violations, including possession with intent to deliver heroin and possession with intent to deliver cocaine.

Easton police said they are not currently releasing any additional information regarding the shooting or the additional narcotics charges, as investigations into both alleged offenses are ongoing.

The Easton Police Criminal Investigations Division had been working in conjunction with multiple agencies in a cooperative effort to locate Alvin, the EPD said.

NJ Undercover Operation Results in Drug Charges for Easton Man

Jermaine Grant
Photo courtesy of the
Hunterdon County
Prosecutor's Office

An Easton man is one of 47 people charged with possession of heroin or intent to distribute the illegal drug, Hunterdon County New Jersey Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III announced today.

Jermaine Grant, 26, of Easton, faces unspecified charges as part of a 10-month long police operation that aimed to disrupt heroin trafficking in Hunterdon County, NJ, the prosecutor's office reported.

"Operation Day Tripper" targeted heroin traffickers and consumers who allegedly traveled regularly, some daily, to and from "source" cities, including Newark and Trenton, NJ, as well as Easton, for their illegal drugs, the prosecutor's office said.

A media release announcing the busts did not name the specific charges Grant faces.

Kearns also said that Hunterdon County is a gateway for drug distribution in New Jersey, due to Interstate 78 running through it, and the area has also seen a "dramatic spike" in gang activity.

“We aren’t going to sugarcoat this. This county has drug dealers, drug addicts, and street gangs, and they are affecting the quality of life here,” Kearns added in the release.

Four Suspected Gang Members Arrested in Raid - Heroin, Cash, Gun Seized

Four people were arrested in a raid in Easton's West Ward early Friday morning that police say netted approximately $1,700 worth of heroin, $6,382 in cash, .38 caliber handgun with the serial number obliterated, and Bloods gang paraphernalia.

At approximately 6 a.m., the Easton Police Vice/Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at 213 North 8th St., where they found Anthony Thomas, 24, Andry Deloach, 22, Nicholas Alleyne, 22, and Danny Manning, 25, inside attempting to hide from police, according to a media release.

The raid was the result of an ongoing investigation into an alleged heroin distribution ring in the West Ward area of the city, police said, adding that all four suspects are originally from the Plainfield, NJ area and are suspected Bloods gang members.

Police report all four were arrested and are expected to be arraigned later today on the following charges:

• possession with intent to distribute heroin
• manufacturing of heroin
• criminal conspiracy
• possession of drug parahernalia.

Thomas will additionally be charged with being a former felon not to permitted to possess a handgun and possession of a handgun with an obliterated manufacturer’s serial number, Easton police said, adding that the department also had a prior arrest warrant for delivery of heroin for Thomas and that he is a "confirmed" Bloods gang member.

The residence on North 8th Street is listed as being owned by Magaly Ugarte, of the same address, according to online county property records.

All four suspects were arraigned early Friday afternoon in front of Senior District Magistrate James Stocklas and committed to Northampton County prison after failing to post bail, set at a straight $35,000 for three of the defendents, and at a straight $85,000 for Thomas due to the weapons charges.

In conjunction with this morning's raid, the EPD Special Response Unit also assisted the Northampton County Drug Task Force in executing a narcotics search warrant at 98 Jonathan Drive in Palmer Township, which was served simultaneously, the media release said.
Updated at 2:32 p.m. to add arraignment and bail amount details, and again at 3:45 p.m. to add a link to the details of the second raid in Palmer.

Police Find, Raid Another Meth Lab

Another local area suspected methamphetamine lab was raided and shut down today, Easton Police report.

Two adults were detained after police executed a search warrant at 1415 Pine St. at about 2:12 p.m. today. The Easton Police Vice/Narcotics Unit and Pennsylvania State Police SERT and Clandestine Laboratory Team were involved in the operation, authorities said.

Arrested was Michael Williams, 52, who lived at the raided address and will face charges of manufacturing methampthetamine and possibly other related offenses, police said.

The other person who was initially detained was released without charge, police said.

Police say methamphetamine cooking materials were located in the residence, and that their presence indicates the illegal drug was being produced there.

The potentially hazardous materials were removed safely from the dwelling by the PSP Clandestine Lab Team and will be held as evidence, police said.

The investigation and associated raid today is related to the one that happened last week, on Jan. 11 at 120 North 15th St., authorities confirmed.

Updated at 4:52 p.m. to include mention of the release of the other person that was initially detained.

Raid Shuts Down Suspected Meth Lab

A methamphetamine manufacturing lab was found at a
residence in this apartment complex on North 15th Street
in Wilson Borough, on the edge of the City of Easton.

Four people were arrested and charged with various offenses this morning after police raided a Wilson Borough apartment on the edge of the City of Easton this morning as part of drug trafficking investigation.

The Easton Police Department's Vice/Narcotics Unit, Special Response Unit and Northampton County Drug Task Force executed a narcotics search warrant at 120 North 15th St. in Wilson Borough at about 6 a.m., according to a media release issued by the department.

Twelve people were found at the residence, including four juveniles. All but two of the people found in the home at the time are residents at the address, police said.

Arrested and charged were:

• Thomas Stocker Jr., 30, charged with manufacturing of a controlled substance
• Ferdinand Inacay, 47, charged with manufacturing of a controlled substance
• Tarick Badger, 18, for possession of a small amount of marijuana
• Lindsey Whitney, arrested on a county bench warrant

Stocker and Inacay were residents of the raided residence, police said. It is unclear where the other two that were arrested reside.

A several weeks-long investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in Easton is what led to the raid and subsequent arrests, police said.

While searching the residence, authorities found evidence associated with methamphetamine manufacturing, and as a result, the Pennsylvania State Police Clandestine Laboratory Team was contacted and processed the scene, Easton Police said. They added that the lab was not operating, and the special team was called due to possible hazards associated with handling and transporting the chemicals such set-ups typically involve.
No one was injured during the event, police said.

Updated at 2:08 p.m.