According to Drug Task Force Officer Jeffrey Bowers, the investigation led to the arrest of Patrick Shay, 26, of New Castle Township.
On March 21, 2019, Bowers filed 3 criminal complaints against Shay for the sale of drugs from his home at 112 Broad Street, New Castle Township, near Saint Clair.
Through a confidential informant, investigators learned that Shay was selling methamphetamine at $275 an ounce from his home.
Investigators then initiated two controlled buys with an undercover officer, first on March 14, 2019, and a second on March 21, 2019.
During both transactions, the undercover officer bought 2 glassine baggies containing approximately a quarter ounce of a crystalline substance at a price of 275 from Shay.
After each transaction, a field test positively identified the substance as methamphetamine.
After the second transaction on March 21, 2019, the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force, along with the New Castle Township Police, Minersville Police, and State Parole Agents executed a search warrant at the Broad Street home.
During entry into the home, Cinthia Shaffer, 33, of Saint Clair, and Jenna Gradwell, 34, of Saint Clair were found. Shaffer is fugitive wanted on warrants from the Pennsylvania State Police and Gradwell is a wanted fugitive on warrants from Schuylkill County Adult Probation. Both were taken into custody.
Shay was also found in an attic bedroom in the home.
A check on Shay also found him to be wanted in Schuylkill and Dauphin Counties.
The search warrant led to the seizing of:
- $508 in U.S. Currency that matched the money used in the purchases by the undercover officer
- Approximately 17.9 grams of methamphetamine, packaged in individual glassine baggies for sale
- One glassine baggie of suspected marijuana weighing approximately 12 grams and a glass pipe
- Cell Phones and a laptop
- a safe reported to have contained an additional amount of methamphetamine
- A large glassine bag of chocolate peanut butter eggs suspected of being made with marijuana. The bag was reported to have contained handwritten instructions from and the name of Patrick Shay
Through the items discovered and the drug transactions, this led investigators to believe that Shay was involved in trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine from his Broad Street home.
As a result of the investigation, Officer Bowers charged Shay with possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia for the first incident.
Bowers also charged Shay with possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia for the second incident.
Finally, Bowers charged Shay with possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, 3 counts of possession of a controlled substance and a count of possession of drug paraphernalia for the third.
Shay was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge James Reiley and locked up in Schuylkill County Prison on $20,000 straight cash bail for each of the 3 complaints filed.
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