LAWRENCE COUNTY Authorities arrest 8 more in jail drug probe

Work-release inmates have been smuggling drugs into the jail.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Eight more people have been charged in a drug probe at the Lawrence County Jail.
New Castle police said the charges were the result of a three-month investigation that began after the death of George Crepp, 21, of Ellwood City.
Crepp was found dead in his cell Aug. 13, and an autopsy revealed he went into cardiac arrest brought on by methadone in his system.
According to an affidavit filed by police to support the charges, William Tillia, 20, of RD 6, Box 610, New Castle, told another inmate Tillia would be in trouble over Crepp's death because he had given him two methadone pills.
Police said Tillia had been in the general prison population, where he and Jeremy Hurd, 22, of Sciota Street were overhead talking about a "shakedown" at the jail, in which officers were to search for drugs. Other inmates said they saw Tillia putting pills up his rectum, police said.
Found dead
Tillia later got into a fight with another inmate and was sent to a secure area of the jail, where he was put in a cell with Crepp. No one besides Tillia had contact with Crepp, court papers stated. The next day Crepp failed to wake for breakfast and lunch, police said. Corrections officers later found him dead.
Tillia and Hurd are each charged with drug delivery resulting in death, criminal conspiracy, possession with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance.
According to the affidavit, Robert Nocera, 25, of West Wind Village, Ellwood City, told police that he smuggled drugs into the jail at Hurd's request and gave them to Hurd.
Nocera, along with corrections officer Jay Fish, 34, of Neshannock Boulevard, New Castle; Christopher Klingensmith, 29, of North Cedar Street; Kenneth Williams, 43, of North Lee Avenue; Shannon Viggiano, 26, of Pine Street; and Douglas Pennachio, 40, of Shenango Street, were each charged with drug possession, possession with the intent to deliver drugs, delivery and conspiracy.
Lawrence County District Attorney Matthew Mangino said it is alleged they conspired to bring OxyContin and other drugs into the jail. The drugs were obtained while some were on work release from the jail and, upon their return, concealed in the inmates' rectums.
The district attorney said those charged maintained an organized effort to distribute the drugs inside the jail.
Arrest warrants have been issued for all eight, police said. Those still in jail were to be arraigned today.
Previous arrests
This is the second round of drug arrests at the jail. In August, seven people were arrested, including an ex-guard, and charged with smuggling OxyContin into the jail. Those charges stemmed from an inmate overdose in July. That inmate survived.
In late August, county officials suspended the work-release program for 48 hours to allow police to investigate how contraband was getting into the jail.
County prison board officials have been debating whether the county is permitted to do inmate body-cavity searches.