100 Stamp Bags of Heroin Found During Traffic Stop in Richland

arrested three people after finding suspected crack cocaine and 100 stamp bags of heroin in a car during a routine traffic stop in Richland Township, according to court testimony.

The two adults who were arrested—23-year-old Amber Rachelle Porter, of Kittanning, and 22-year-old Jeremy Tylenn Hawkins, of Pittsburgh—appeared Wednesday for preliminary hearings before Magisterial District Judge Suzanne Blaschak.

Blaschak forwarded the cases to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas 

Porter, Hawkins and a 17-year-old male were charged with felony counts of conspiracy and possessing heroin with the intent to deliver. They also were charged with misdemeanor counts of possessing heroin, suspected crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

No further information was available about the 17-year-old.

Porter and Hawkins, appearing in court with wrists and ankles shackled, were released on $50,000 unsecured bonds.

Northern Regional Police Officer Andrew Bienemann testified that he stopped Porter's car about 9:15 p.m. Aug. 2 because he could not see a registration sticker as he followed the Pontiac on Route 8 from Northtowne Square to John Marshall Catering.

Once Bienemann walked up to the car, he saw the temporary registration lying on the rear window sill, he said, and noticed a strong marijuana smell.

"(Amber) was advised that an odor of marijuana was emitting from the vehicle," the criminal complaint states. "She advised officers that she smoked marijuana approximately 4-5 hours prior.

"I asked her to submit to a field sobriety test to determine if she was able to operate a vehicle safely. ... Amber completed the field sobriety test with satisfactory results," the complaint states.

After Porter gave permission for her car to be searched, the complaint states, officers found a 12-ounce aluminum can labeled "Max Capacity Energy Drink" under the driver's seat.

When Bienemann picked it up, he noticed the can had an unusual weight and feel, the officer testified.

"Upon further inspection, I found this can to be fake and it contained a pull-off lid," Bienemann said in the criminal complaint.

Police found suspected crack cocaine as well as the stamp bags of heroin in the can, Bienemann testified.

Porter and Hawkins denied knowing anything about the aluminum can, its contents or to whom it belonged, the complaint states.

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