Latrobe police say neighbors’ complaints led to drug arrests
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Multiple complaints this month over an influx of pedestrian and vehicle traffic at a Latrobe home resulted in the arrests of a couple Thursday by city police on charges of trafficking cocaine and heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.
William E. Schall, 34, and Bobbi Rae Ragazzini, 26, who live in the 200 block of James Street, were arrested inside the home without incident after police and the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant.
Police seized multiple stamp bags of heroin stamped “Punisher,” cocaine, marijuana, four drug scales, glass cocaine smoking pipes, multiple plastic baggies, $200, plus sheets detailing alleged customers who still owed them about $900, Det. Sgt. Michael Wigand reported.
Area residents had complained to police that “pedestrians and vehicles were coming and going from the residence all times of the day and night,” Wigand wrote in court documents, adding that the residents’ believed that drug trafficking was taking place “because the traffic leaves almost immediately after making contact with the occupants.”
Wigand said police placed the residence under surveillance recently and even conducted a “trash pull” of three garbage bags the four residents of the home had placed along the curb before executing the warrant.
During the 5 a.m. Thursday trash pull, Wigand disclosed that officers seized 169 used syringes, 140 empty stamp bags of heroin, two stamp bags containing suspected heroin, six “brick” wrappers believed used in packaging multiple stamp bags of heroin and multiple glass pipes used for smoking crack cocaine.
Two other residents in the home related to Schall were not charged.
Schall has an arrest record dating back to 2005 for drug possession and distribution, according to online court dockets. In 2007, he was sentenced to serve a 3- t0 23-month sentence for delivery, manufacturing and possession of a controlled substance possession of drug paraphernalia.
In 2011, Schall, who has also lived in New Alexandria, was sentenced to serve 24-to-42 months in prison after pleading guilty to delivery, manufacturing and possession of a controlled substance and driving on a DUI suspended license, according to online dockets.
He also has a DUI case pending after being arrested Feb. 22 by police in Latrobe.
Ragazzini also is awaiting a preliminary hearing in Aug. 30 on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia after in connection with a May 31 arrest by city police, according to court dockets.
Ragazzini and Schall were both ordered held in the county jail on $100,000 bond each. A preliminary hearing is scheduled July 26.