PAXINOS - A car reported stolen in Lehigh County was spotted at the Glosser Motor Inn here overnight Monday, and police soon after had three people in custody and had confiscated 71 bags of suspected heroin, plus other drugs.
Jordan Detalente, 18, of 80 Reservoir St., Bloomsburg, faces a number of drug-related charges, while the man police identified as her boyfriend, Allen Mikael Varilek, 21, and Justice Devlin Hoffman, 18, both of Slatington, are charged in connection with the car theft and a home burglary.
Ralpho Township Police said state police in Bethlehem had asked police in Columbia and Northumberland counties to be on the lookout for a tan 2005 Mercury Montego, which was allegedly stolen from 2620 Grove St., Washington Township, Lehigh County, Saturday by Varilek and Hoffman.
Trooper Arthur Johnson of Bethlehem State Police barracks said the two men were suspected of stealing cash, coins, jewelry and several other items, and then taking the victim's car.
Arrest warrants were issued against the men, who are charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief.
The victim was not home at the time of the incident, and a total value of stolen property has not been determined.
No incident at motel
At approximately 12:35 a.m. Monday, Ralpho Township Patrolman Christopher Grow was performing a routine patrol in the area of Glosser Motor Inn, Route 487, when he spotted the vehicle in the parking lot.
After Grow called for assistance, police took Detalente, Varilek and Hoffman into custody without incident.
A search warrant was obtained for the room where the three defendants were found. Police said they confiscated 71 blue bags of suspected heroin, four grams of suspected marijuana, approximately eight grams of suspected cocaine, approximately a gram of suspected ecstasy, needles, currency and other various drug paraphernalia.
Bailed on $100,000
Detalente was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Hugh Jones, Mount Carmel, and committed to Northumberland County Prison on $100,000 cash bail. She was charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, four counts of possession of a controlled substance a count of conspiracy and a count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Charges in Northumberland County against Detalente and Varilek are pending, but they were committed to Northumberland County Prison, police said.
Johnson said the plan is to arraign the two men on theft charges via videoconference from the Slatington office of Lehigh County Magisterial District Judge Rodney R. Beck, but a staff member at the judge's office said the arraignment had not taken place as of Monday afternoon.
All three remained in prison in Northumberland County Monday afternoon.
Assisting Ralpho Township Police were Northumberland-Montour Drug Task Force and officers from Shamokin, Coal Township, Mount Carmel Township and state police in Stonington.
A man who identified himself as a manager of Glosser Motor Inn did not want to comment for this report.