Donora drug suspect released on bond
DONORA – The arrest Thursday of a Donora man on charges of heroin dealing followed the use of a confidential informant who allegedly made two drug purchases from him, one within 72 hours before the Washington County District attorney’s office raided his home, court records show.
The unnamed informant also told a detective working for District Attorney Gene Vittone’s drug task force that he saw many bricks of the drug in June in the 1321 Gilmore residence of Christopher Byrd, 30, and that Byrd stored heroin in a red backpack.
Investigators said they seized the backpack along with 54 bricks of heroin, $6,400 and a loaded 9 mm handgun in the Thursday night raid.
Byrd posted $200,000 bond and was released from Washington County jail four hours after he arrived there at 10:04 p.m. Thursday. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in the case at 10 a.m. July 25, court records indicate.