Mar 14, 2016 3 min read

A pregnant Washington woman wanted on warrants obtained by South Strabane Township and East Washington police faces more charges after South Strabane police said they learned she recently injected herself with heroin.

Shannon Louise Hilbert, 23, of 891 Addison St., was taken into custody early Sunday when the vehicle in which she was a passenger was stopped by Washington police for reportedly going through a red light at the intersection of Hall and Jefferson avenues.

South Strabane Sgt. Michael Manfredi, who obtained the warrants for her on behalf of both departments in October, heard city police running a check for warrants on the occupants when he heard the name of Hilbert’s sister being run. The sergeant was nearby and stopped to assist. He confirmed the front-seat passenger was Hilbert, not her sister, and also saw she was pregnant.

Hilbert confirmed to Manfredi she was pregnant and due in a few weeks. When he took her into custody, Manfredi said he observed recent “track marks” on her arms and hands. Hilbert reportedly told Manfredi, as well as Washington County jail personnel processing her on the arrest warrants, that she uses heroin.

The jail personnel would not take Hilbert without a commitment from a district judge because she was pregnant and because of her drug use. District Judge James Ellis agreed to arraign her by video from the township police department. South Strabane police filed new charges of endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault against an unborn child.

Photographs were taken of Hilbert, as well as the marks on her hands and arms. Hilbert reportedly told Manfredi that she had not seen a doctor or had any prenatal care because of the warrants for her arrest.

The warrants stemmed from charges of theft, identity theft and access device fraud filed by South Strabane police, along with charges of possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and traffic citations filed by East Washington police as a result of a May 12 traffic stop in the 10 block of South Wade Avenue.

Hilbert allegedly stole $1,000 from an elderly South Strabane woman she befriended while working for another resident at Thomas Campbell Apartments. The 80-year-old alleged victim notified police after she noticed unauthorized charges made with her bank card in September and early October. Hilbert obtained the woman’s personal identification number while running errands for the 80-year-old, police said. Hilbert allegedly used the card to withdraw money and make purchases in the Washington area.

Washington police also plan to charge Hilbert with false identification for reportedly using her sister’s name during the stop Sunday. Also taken into custody on a probation warrant and placed in jail was Ashley Marie Kokladas, 20, of 870 Addison St., Washington. She also faces drug charges after police said a bag of suspected crack fell out of her bra and another bag of the suspected drug was found hidden there.

Hilbert was placed in jail on $30,000 bond set by Ellis on all three cases. She faces a March 24 hearing before Weller.