Man pleads guilty to possessing fentanyl in Duquesne
A Butler man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh to possessing drugs, including fentanyl, last year in Duquesne.
Gerry Lee Kendall, 41, pleaded guilty before Senior District Court Judge Arthur J. Schwab on a charge of possessing 10 grams or more of a drug mixture containing fluorofentanyl and fentanyl.
According to U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung, a Duquesne police officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle, for alleged traffic violations, after observing Kendall on June 6, 2021 as he left Truman Towers, a known high-drug trafficking area. Kendall got the vehicle as a passenger.
Authorities said Kendall appeared to be shaking, and he couldn’t tell the officer the last name or apartment number of the person he’d just met. When asked if he had any weapons, Kendall placed his hand into his pocket, despite the officer’s order not to do so.
As a safety procedure, the officer pulled Kendall’s hand from his pocket, and four “bricks” — each typically comprised of 50 small packets of drugs — fell out of his pocket, Chung said.
A search of Kendall, following his arrest, resulted in seizure of 16 additional bricks, a cell phone and $1,773. The phone contained texts that showed Kendall’s prior distributions of controlled substances, according to Chung.
Kendall will continue to be held on bond pending sentencing, set for March 1.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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