School employee faces drug charges

By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A city schools secretary who police say peddled OxyContin pills within 1,000 feet of school boundaries was arrested on a six-count indictment.
Michael V. Delucia, 49, of Brownlee Avenue, was arrested Friday morning at the maintenance garage on Teamster Drive by members of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force drug unit. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Poland Township Patrolman Greg Wilson, a task force member, served as lead investigator on the case. He said Delucia, aside from selling OxyContin near school premises, was also distributing it in Struthers and Poland.
Wilson said there was no evidence at this time to suggest Delucia was selling on school property or to pupils. The officer said the task force had information several months ago that Delucia may have been involved in drug activity.
"Conventional investigative techniques were used" to gather evidence, Wilson said. He declined to be more specific.
Selling near school
Youngstown Lt. Robin Lees, task force commander, said Delucia was selling drugs near Byzantine Catholic Central School on Youngstown-Poland Road.
"This is another good example of multijurisdictional cooperation," Lees said of the arrest. "Here you have an offender working in Youngstown and also trafficking in two [nearby] communities. We had an officer in Poland who developed a source."
Lees said the arrest removes the potential threat to schools.
Delucia had been a secretary at Cleveland Elementary School until arrested by the task force last month in Struthers on drug charges. Those charges and others were the basis of the indictment, Wilson said.
Ted Terlesky, chief of security for city schools, said Delucia was initially placed on administrative leave after his arrest last month and then transferred to work at the maintenance garage.
Terlesky said once Delucia posts bond this time he will be placed back on administrative leave pending action by Superintendent Wendy Webb.
Charges
Delucia's indictment, handed up Thursday, has these charges:
Feb. 10, sold or offered to sell OxyContin within vicinity of a school or within 1,000 feet of school boundaries.
Feb. 10, possessed or used Methadone, prescription medication used for the treatment of narcotic withdrawal and dependence.
Feb. 2, knowingly sold or offered to sell OxyContin.
Jan. 12, sold or offered to sell OxyContin within vicinity of a school or within 1,000 feet of school boundaries.
Dec. 8, 2005, same.
Dec. 6, 2005, same.
meade@vindy.com