Saturday mornings are the busiest days of the week because the drug treatment clinic is closed on Sundaysmeaning that several hundred people begin showing up at 5 a.m. to ensure that they cancollect their extra days supply of methadone or buprenorphine. Stephen McCormick, two counts of distribution of cocaine. Multiple law enforcement agencies ultimately provided assistance with the investigation. Over a period of about three years, he went from prescription Vicodin to shooting up heroin. (It also broke a record last year with eight homicides, sending its per capita murder rate past Philadelphia and Chicago.). Washington Daily Voice - Community News and Information for Boonsboro Prosecutors alleged they conspired to sell 100 grams or more of heroin, 500 grams or more of cocaine and . Mayor Richard Trump (no relation to the president),who ran for office on a slate that promised to return God to City Hall, abruptly resigned without explanation after nine months in office in 2006. A handful, with newer haircuts and cars, might be professionalssomewhere in this politically conservative county. The City Council will likely be forced to raise property taxes again this year. This was a normal kid, the daughter of a respected ex-city cop. Later, outside a Rotary Club meeting, Keller talks more optimistically about the citys current efforts to tackle the crisis. 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. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. His associate, 33-year-old Rodney Gaines, or "Butta" was also arrested. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. 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? The rear of North and Locust Food Mart. Police allege Anthony Latimer, 41, Hagerstown, was dealing drugs from his car when Alpha Platoon patrol officers approached the car in the 300 block of North Jonathan Street at 5:30 a.m. Latimer stepped . Police say most of these deals happened in broad daylight. Grant was treated at Meritus Medical Center and released to authorities, Kerns said. The epidemic has not peaked yet by any means, says Mike Piercy, director of the Washington County Department of Social Services. The substance abuse treatment center sits across the street from an abandoned hospital parking garage (the hospital moved out of downtown like nearly everything else), and a seemingly endless stream of addicts in late-model cars, minivans, and pickup trucks come and go until the pharmacy closes at noon. Smith and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Smith will be sentenced to 92 months in federal prison followed by 4 years of supervised release. From the early 1970s onward, there was a vacuumeconomically, socially, politically, culturally. Nine People Indicted in Historic Drug Bust on Maryland Eastern Shore, Eastern Shore Neighbors React to Historic Drug Bust, Governors Office Of Crime Prevention, Youth, And Victim Services, Dorchester County States Attorneys Office, Dorchester County Task Forces, Homeland Security Investigations And Drug Enforcement Administration, Multiple Threats Made to Delaware Schools, Gunshot from Pocket Leads to Multiple Charges for Milford Man, UPDATE: Delaware Man Fatally Shot Near Felton Identified, Two Salisbury Men Arrested on Multiple Rape and Weapon Charges, Recreational Crabbing Regulation Changes in Chesapeake Bay, Transparency Requirements for Group Health Plans, Possession of large amount of controlled dangerous substance, Distribution of large amount of controlled dangerous substance, 2 counts of conspiracy to distribute narcotic, Possession with intent to distribute narcotics, 2 counts of possession with intent to distribute narcotics, Conspiracy with intent to distribute narcotics, 3 counts conspiracy to distribute large amounts of narcotics, 3 counts conspiracy to distribute narcotics, Rifle/shotgun possession by disqualified person, 2 counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 4 counts conspiracy to distribute narcotics, Firearm possession with a felony conviction, Possession of controlled dangerous substance not-marijuana, Conspiracy to distribute large amounts of controlled dangerous substances, 2 counts possession of controlled dangerous substances not-marijuana, 2 counts of conspiracy to possession with intent to distribute narcotics, 2 counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 3 counts of conspiracy with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 3 counts of use of a firearm in drug trafficking, 2 counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance not marijuana, Possession of more than 10 grams of marijuana. Instead, he sought help by way of Suboxone (the commercial name for a combination of buprenorphineand naloxone), which he considers a miracle. Its these fast-rolling interstates that carry the deadly opioids, including heroin and fetanyl, flooding Marylands western counties. Andrew Clopper, one count of distribution of heroin. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. This epidemic, largely caused by the pharmaceutical industrys complete lack of accountability or care about anyone or anything other than their pockets, has wreaked havoc on my city, Keller said. Nicholas Silverman, 20, Bronson Benjamin,33, both of Hagerstown, and Farrah Wisner, 19, of Baltimore were arrested and charged with possession. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Hagerstown - Tripadvisor 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. District of New Jersey (973) 645-2888. According to a 2016 report from the U.S. surgeon general, only one in 10 people with an addiction problem receives treatment. Feds seize enough fentanyl to kill ONE MILLION people in Maryland This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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 number of meth cases, particularly of one-pot meth labs in Western Maryland, has been experiencing a recent surge. Lock The indictments were returned July 20, said Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard of the northern district of West Virginia. Martinsburg Police Chief George Swartwood said the arrests and seizures of drugs represent "more to this community than just numbers on a page.". Maryland drug bust involving fentanyl, cocaine The seizures, and the refills, continued for about eight months, then ceased, but Morningstar found himself dependent on the narcoticphysically, mentally, and emotionally. The mayor and City Council at the time didnt want it. Several weapons were seized, including two stolen handguns, as well as rifles and shotguns, Kerns said. After being arrested on July 1, police said Oliver assaulted an officer and was found with a controlled dangerous substance. 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. Grant briefly escaped, fleeing while handcuffed, and was captured a short distance away, Kerns said. 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. (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.) 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. 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. Washington, D.C. Man Convicted After Nine-Day Trial for Use of a Firearm in Connection with a Murder and a Robbery, and for a Drug Distribution Conspiracy. Nine arrested in early morning drug bust in Westernport | WCBC 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. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. 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. 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. The first indictment names 25 defendants accused in one or more of the drug conspiracies. 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. (DC News Now) The Hagerstown Police Department said officers executed a search and seizure warrant at 115 S. Mulberry St. on Oct. 7, finding fentanyl, crack cocaine, $5,000 cash, and firearms. Hagerstown, Maryland Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Federal Fentanyl and Heroin Drug Charges Drug Enforcement Administration Jarod A. All rights reserved. Bernard had high praise for the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved, saying "they did a tremendous job. 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. a view from the abandoned hospital parking garage across from the antietam street clinic. Im not in economic development, but you also cant help but wonder, how do you build a workforce and attract new businesseswhich we desperately needwhen this is happening everywhere in your community?. "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. 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. (Currently affiliated with the Nationals, the Suns draw a South Atlantic league-low 896 fans per game; Frederick led the Carolina League in attendance from 2012-2016, attracting nearly 5,000 fans a game.). Weve been struggling for decades and hopefully this will get the ball rolling, she says. The homes that were searched were in Preston, Hurlock, Federalsburg, Lanham and Crofton. (Photos from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office) 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. Stretching from New York to Tennessee and Baltimore to Utah respectively, I-81 and I-70 are two of the longest interstates in the U.S., and they intersect in Hagerstown. Grant also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of needles related to drugs; possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana; creating a common nuisance through distributing narcotics; and escape in the second degree, according to Kerns and online court records. 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. Life is great now, he says. Christina Trenton Nee, COO, and Charlie Mooneyhan, CEO, of Wells House. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Bernard saidMota is accused of using hisbusiness, Top 3 Sources on West Washington Street, to store and sell drugs and launder the proceeds. The person arrested on the outstanding warrant was Violet Benjamin, 53, of Hagerstown. Hagerstown Center Of Alleged Drug Conspiracy, Prosecutors Say Anderson was charged with distribution of narcotics and possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not marijuana, according to online court records. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence. He was taken into custody Tuesday at his Security Road home, Kerns said.