Alleged drug dealer behind bars after not showing up for trial
An alleged drug trafficker is back behind bars after authorities say he skipped his trial in Butler County Court last week.
A multistate felon, Hasan Shareef, 42, was the target of a manhunt which began Aug. 16, when he failed to appear for his non-jury trial in President Judge Thomas Doerr's courtroom.
Doerr issued a bench warrant for the no-show defendant. Court officials, including Shareef's attorney, had an idea where he might be.
The day before his trial Shareef had telephoned his court-appointed attorney, Armand Cingolani III, and his probation officer, telling them he would not be in court.
Instead, authorities said, he advised he was checking himself into a drug treatment facility in Pittsburgh. Prosecutor Terri Schultz learned of Shareef's unauthorized plan and notified the Butler County Sheriff's Office, which in turn alerted the Allegheny County sheriff.
Deputies from Allegheny County about 7 p.m. Friday paid a visit to the center, where they nabbed Shareef.
He was eventually placed in Allegheny County Jail until Butler County deputies returned him here Monday.
Read more about this case in the Butler Eagle.
