Westmoreland prison inmate accused again of possessing contraband
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A Westmoreland County Prison inmate accused earlier this month of smuggling Suboxone and synthetic marijuana through the mail was charged again Thursday after jail guards said they found him with more contraband.
Hugh J. Hawkey Jr., 44, was charged by county detectives with manufacturing, possession and delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance after the incident Thursday morning in the Hempfield lockup.
Det. James Williams said Hawkey was walking through a sliding security door when he dropped a “piece of clear plastic” on the floor that contained three orange strips.
Security guards noticed the “drop” and discovered the strips resembled contraband. Det. Tony Marcocci verified the strips were Suboxone.
“The video replay of the area before and after Hawkey went through the security door, shows the only object found was put there by Hawkey,” Williams wrote in court documents filed before Hempfield District Judge Mark Mansour.
On Dec. 4, Hawkey and his girlfriend, Jennifer L. Loskey, 44, of New Stanton, were arrested by Williams for concealing doses of Suboxone beneath postage stamps that Hawkey would sell inside the prison, according to those documents.
In September, an inmate tipped off prison Lt. Brad Tomasello that Hawkey was receiving drugs through his mail, investigators reported. The inmate learned of the alleged smuggling operation after Hawkey asked him to temporarily hold some of mail. Hawkey feared “his cell was going to be shaken down” by suspicious prison officials, court documents state.
During a search, Tomasello secured envelopes that had Hawkey’s name and prison address on them and Loskey’s return address. Tomasello and Williams allege in court documents that Loskey concealed Suboxone doses beneath stamps attached to envelopes.
Prison officials said the powerful synthetic marijuana K2 was smuggled into the prison the same way.
Suboxone is a prescription drug used to treat opioid addiction. It comes in the form of a paper-thin, dissolvable strip.
Hawkey has been in jail since June on drug-related charges filed by Greensburg police. A judge in September sentenced him to a year in prison after Hawkey pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia.
Hawkey and Loskey were both charged with possession of a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy and criminal attempt to distribute a controlled substance in the initial case.
Due to last week’s incident, Hawkey’s scheduled preliminary hearing on the initial complaint was postponed until Feb. 18. Loskey waived her right to a preliminary hearing and her case will be heard in common pleas court.