POLAND Cops arrest 2 men in party drug probe

It's not clear if there's a connection with school drug sales.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- Two Poland Township men face a variety of drug trafficking charges.
Scott Semer, 22, of Youngstown-Pittsburgh Road was arrested at about 3 p.m. Thursday at his home. David Hay, 23, of Clovermead Avenue was arrested just after noon Friday, also at home.
Semer was in the Mahoning County jail Friday night under $50,000 bail. He is charged with five felony counts.
Hay was released without bond and is facing one felony count.
Ecstasy: Police say both men were involved in the sale of Ecstasy, a so-called "party drug," and other illegal substances in the area.
Officers from the Mahoning Valley Drug Task Force, Mahoning County Sheriff's Department, Poland Village and Poland Township took part in the investigation and arrests.
Village Police Chief Russell Beatty said members of the task force had been investigating drug sales for several months and officers made numerous undercover purchases of drugs from the men.
A county grand jury returned secret indictments against the men Thursday.
Beatty said drug sales have had a profound impact on the community -- playing a major role in the sale of Ecstasy in the area.
High school: Beatty would not comment o whether any of the drugs involved in this case found their way into the hands of students at Poland Seminary High School.
The high school has been the center of an investigation into trafficking.
Eight students have been arrested on charges of either selling or possessing illegal drugs such as OxyContin, a highly addictive pain reliever.
Two students charged with trafficking have been expelled.