Five facing charges

6/23/2009 3:33 AM

CHARLEROI - Five people are being held in Washington County Jail on drug charges after borough police found suspected drugs at a Charleroi home while investigating a hit-and-run crash Sunday.

Police arrested the following: Alyssa Moore, 18, of 54 Grange Road, Coal Center; Eric Moore, 32, of 516 Third St., Charleroi; Richard Valentin, 41, of 215 Linden Ave., Monessen; Thomas Vandivner, 19, of 219 Ridge Road, Brownsville; and Brenen Greer, 21, of 122 Maple Ave., Canonsburg.

Canonsburg police said Valentin will be charged with harassment and disorderly conduct after he assaulted Vandivner during their arraignment at the office of District Judge David Mark in that borough. Police said Valentin hit Vandivner in the head with rolled-up paperwork about 1:42 a.m. Police said Valentin refused to settle down and the problems continued on Water Street in front of the judge's office.

Charleroi police said Valentin also caused problems while being processed at the police station and they had to put him in a room apart from the other defendants.

Charleroi police were investigating an accident when they found the vehicle involved parked about 5 p.m. in the 100 block of Luella Avenue. After determining the car belonged to a person working at 119 Luella, police knocked on the door there.

Vandivner, who owns the car, was asked to come outside. Police say they could smell a strong odor of marijuana on him. While questioning people inside the house, an officer could hear someone running up the steps. He went to the third floor and found Valentin and Greer.

Eric Moore, who owns the property, agreed to allow police to search the home he was fixing up. Five bags of suspected marijuana were found on the third floor along with suspected cocaine, suspected oxycodone, other drugs and paraphernalia.

Each suspect is facing multiple counts of possession with intent to deliver drugs and drug possession, as well as one count each of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

They were placed in jail on $10,000 bonds set by Mark.

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