Commonwealth v. Derrick Thomas:  On February 18, 2016, Dauphin County President Judge Richard A. Lewis sentenced Derrick Thomas to a 7 1/2 year to 15 year state prison.  The 40-year-old Harrisburg City resident was convicted on February 11, 2016, by a Dauphin County jury for Possession with the Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (102 grams of crack cocaine) and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia based upon an incident that occurred on January 16, 2015. On that date, Thomas was the passenger in a vehicle which drove up to the scene of a “buy-bust” operation in the parking lot of the Asian Mall on South 13^th Street in Harrisburg. An occupant in that vehicle exited and immediately completed a delivery of cocaine to a confidential informant before entering another vehicle and leaving the scene. This conduct prompted Harrisburg Police officers to stop and detain the remaining occupants of the initial vehicle, and found Thomas sitting in the car's front passenger seat. Officers observed a white grocery-style bag on the Thomas' lap, which he had to set on the floorboard of the vehicle in order to exit per officer commands. A Vice Detective collected the bag on the passenger floorboard and a smaller bag on the passenger’s door, both of which contained crack cocaine. Ultimately, Thomas possessed over 102 grams of crack cocaine.

Shortly after his arrest, Thomas was interviewed by members of the Dauphin County Drug Task Force. Thomas confessed that he did in fact sell crack cocaine, including the approximately four ounces of cocaine that he was charged with possessing, and that he was caught “dead to rights.” Thomas further admitted that he had $1,560 at the time of arrest due to “hustling”, or selling crack cocaine, and that he sold cocaine regularly “to get rich.” Despite confessing to the police, Thomas refused to plead guilty and took a jury trial.  During the trial, Dauphin County Criminal Investigation Division Chief John Goshert, former head of the Harrisburg City Vice Unit, testified that Thomas possessed at least $8,500 worth of cocaine. Chief Goshert further testified that evidence of Thomas' intent to sell this cocaine was “overwhelming.”

Officer Robert Yost of the Harrisburg Bureau of Police is the lead investigator on this case. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Chris Jason.