May 18, 2016- Commonwealth v. Michael Bethea:  On May 18, 2016, Michael Bethea, appeared before Dauphin County Judge John F. Cherry and entered guilty pleas to multiple charges at four separate dockets.  He was immediately sentenced to serve 4-23 months in Dauphin County Prison, followed by a consecutive period of 2 years’ probation.

On docket CP-22-CR-2201-2015, on February 4, 2015, around 8:30 p.m., Dauphin County Probation and Parole officers were conducting a parole check on an occupant of a home in the 2000 block of Derry Street.  When the officers entered the home they smelled a strong odor of marijuana and found four juveniles and the homeowner, Angela Murray.  Murray and a juvenile admitted they had marijuana on them; this was confiscated by the probation officers.  During an initial search of the house by probation, officers found 300 bags of heroin, packaged to sell, in one of the juvenile’s bedrooms.  Once the heroin was found, probation officers contacted Harrisburg Police.  When officers arrived they obtained consent to search the remainder of the house.  Within Bethea’s bedroom, which he shared with Angela Murray, officers found two 9 mm handguns, multiple containers and baggies of marijuana packaged to sell, air-seal plastic bags, two 150-count boxes of sandwich bags, $1,165, a large amount of rubber bands (used to package and transport heroin), blue rubber gloves, a digital scale, and empty glass vials.  Bethea was detained and subsequently admitted the marijuana found in his room was his and admitted to selling the marijuana.  Lastly, the $1,165 found in Bethea’s room was ION Scanned by a member of the PA Counterdrug Joint Task Force at Fort Indiantown Gap [an ION Scan is a machine used to detect trace amounts of drugs and/or explosive residue using Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS); the machine is very sensitive and detects trace amounts in nanograms or to the 1 billionth].  During the ION Scan, the money was tested and tested high for Cocaine and Heroin.  This test informed police that the money found on Bethea was in close contact with cocaine and heroin.  Given the evidence found, Bethea was arrested and charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Following his arrest, Bethea was arraigned and had bail set at $25,000.  Bethea was released after posting this bail using a bail bondsman.  While out on bail for the above felony charges, Bethea incurred three additional sets of charges.  First, on April 19, 2015, around 1:10 a.m., a Harrisburg City Police officer initiated a traffic stop on Bethea’s vehicle for failing to use a turn signal.  Bethea was identified as the driver and granted the officer consent to search his person and the vehicle.  Officers found a clear glass vial containing marijuana.  Bethea was subsequently arrested and charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and a summary traffic violation; these charges were subsequently docketed at CP-22-CR-3887-2015.

On October 28, 2015, (docket CP-22-CR-315-2016) Harrisburg Drug Task Force detectives executed a search warrant at Bethea’s residence in the 2000 block of Derry Street.  This search warrant was based upon multiple prior drug sales that occurred out of the residence, or near the residence, by a juvenile occupant of the home.  During the execution of the search warrant, Bethea, Angela Murray, and three juveniles were found within the home.  During the search of the home, multiple items of contraband were found:  officers found marijuana in an upstairs toilet, a torn plastic bag and heat-sealed bag from a bathroom garbage can, a gram scale, an ashtray with multiple marijuana roaches, and large sums of U.S. Currency.  Officers indicated the entire house stunk of smoked marijuana.  Additionally, detectives recovered a urine container with three sandwich bags of marijuana under Bethea’s bed.  Bethea did admit that the urine container was his.  As a result of the marijuana found, Bethea was charged with Possession of a Small Amount of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  Lastly, given the prior felony drug arrest, the recent drug purchases from the home, and the drugs found on this occasion, Bethea was charged with Public Nuisance, a Misdemeanor of the Second degree, for establishing, maintaining, keeping, or causing to be set up, established, maintained, kept or continued, any public nuisance.

Finally, for docket CP-22-CR-1795-2016, on January 20, 2016, around 3:11 p.m., Harrisburg officers were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on the juvenile involved in drug sales at same Derry Street home.  When officers arrived they were met by Bethea on the front porch.  Bethea escorted the officers inside and officers immediately detained the wanted juvenile.  Additionally, officers found $2,140 strewn around the floor in the downstairs living room.  During a safety sweep of the house, officers observed, and smelled, in plain view evidence of marijuana and marijuana use.  Bethea did grant consent to search the residence.  During the subsequent search officers found multiple items of marijuana and paraphernalia indicative of drug sales.  Specifically within Bethea’s room, officers found nine plastic baggies containing marijuana packaged to sell; eight empty clear plastic baggies, five of which had corners torn out (this is common in drug trafficking; individuals will tear off the corners of plastic bags to package and sell drugs); and a fully operational digital scale covered in marijuana residue.  Bethea did admit that the marijuana was his.  As a result, Bethea was arrested and charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Andrew J. Jarbola IV.