Alleged drug dealers, buyer arrested in SR
SLIPPERY ROCK — An investigation into a home invasion in Allegheny County led nearly 60 miles north to the borough, where police arrested two alleged drug traffickers Wednesday and seized nearly 90 stamp bags of suspected heroin, authorities said.
Slippery Rock police believe Dawn R. Eckert, 40, of Marion Township and Dustin J. Cunning, 31, of Connoquenessing Township went to an apartment on Spruce Drive to sell heroin to a buyer.
The pair is accused of driving there in Eckert's car with her 3-year-old son in the back seat. The bags of heroin, police said, were marked “Life is Beautiful.”
District Judge Lewis Stoughton arraigned both defendants later that night on felony charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and conspiracy, and misdemeanor charges of child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance.
Eckert and Cunning are in the Butler County Prison on $100,000 bail each.
Police also arrested the suspected buyer, Michael Demko, 39, of Slippery Rock, on a bench warrant. He is also in the county prison.
Information on the home invasion investigation in Scott Township was still scarce on Thursday morning. A call to Scott police was not immediately returned.
But authorities in Butler County described Eckert as being the “focus” of the out-of-county investigation.
The same authorities disclosed that the Scott Township probe involved a warrant search of a home that turned up 25 “bricks” — or 1,250 glassine bags — of heroin.A “brick” is a common street term for a group of 50 stamp bags containing opiates, such as heroin.At the house where the home invasion apparently occurred Tuesday, a white Chevrolet Cruze also became a target of the investigation by Scott Township police.Investigators believe the car, which had front-end damage and was missing a hubcap, was involved in the home invasion and in heroin trafficking.Scott Township police eventually tracked it to Butler County — at a home on the 700 block of Ridge Road in Franklin Township.State police in Butler were called to assist. But before police got to the home, the car backed out of the driveway and headed onto Route 8, en route to Slippery Rock.Scott police followed it to the apartment on Spruce Drive, where they saw Demko come out and approach the car for a suspected drug buy.
The officers moved in and detained Demko and the car's occupants — Eckert, the driver, and Cunning, the passenger. Authorities said Eckert owns the vehicle.Riding in the back seat, Slippery Rock police said, was Eckert's son, who was secured in a child safety seat. In a pill bottle on the car floor were 87 glassine bags of the suspected heroin marked “Life is Beautiful.” According to borough police, officers also found Cunning with two similar bags.During an interview at the borough police station, Eckert allegedly claimed the alleged heroin belonged to her and Cunning.“Eckert stated she is the one who paid for the heroin and Cunning was the one selling it,” according to Slippery Rock police officer Nicholas Graham's affidavit.But in his interview, Cunning claimed Eckert was selling the drugs, police said.Demko told police, court documents said, that “Eckert has delivered heroin before with Dustin.”
