Yearlong heroin investigation ends with guilty pleas
An Allegheny County man pleaded guilty in two heroin distribution cases in Butler County Court on Wednesday.
Vernon A. Daniels Jr., 29, of Natrona Heights, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance — heroin — before President Judge Thomas Doerr.
The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 2½ to 6 years in state prison, restitution, fines and costs. He is scheduled for sentencing on March 22.
Daniels was initially charged with three counts of felony possession with intent, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm prohibited, false written statement, tampering with evidence, three counts of misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of paraphernalia and several summary traffic violations after two incidents on March 16.
State police filed the charges after a traffic stop on Route 356 near Monroe Road in Buffalo Township.
The vehicle was pulled over after police ran the license plate and found it belonged to a different vehicle.
During the stop, police said the driver was seen throwing something out the window, which was later found to be a plastic bag of suspected marijuana.
Daniels acknowledged that he did not have a license and it didn't take long for police to learn that he also was wanted on a warrant.
A search of Daniels turned up 200 stamp bags of heroin that he had hidden under his clothes.
That incident culminated a nearly yearlong investigation into Daniels' alleged heroin distribution in Butler County.
Following that, state police vice officers served a search warrant at Daniels' rental home in Allegheny County, which turned up a stolen 9 mm handgun, a large bag of unpackaged heroin, baggies of crack cocaine and marijuana, and $2,390 in currency, police said.
Those charges were consolidated with the Butler County case due to the ongoing investigation.
Daniels continues to be held in the Butler County Prison on a combined $150,000 bail pending sentencing.
