Spanish Teacher and Husband Arrested in Crack Bust
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— A Spanish teacher from St. Nicks/St. Mary's in Wilkes-Barre along with her husband were arrested and another is wanted for their alleged roles in a crack purchase in the city of Scranton on March 27.
Lackawanna County Detectives utilized a Confidential Informant (C.I.) to set up a purchase of crack cocaine between the C.I. and 53-year-old Plains resident William Smiley
The complaint states that Smiley directed the C.I. to the corner of Adams Ave and Linden St in downtown Scranton around 5:45 p.m. where the C.I. was picked up by 43-year-old Mountain Top resident Rosemary Martin, and her husband 46-year-old Todd Martin.
The C.I. was outfitted with covert listening devices so detectives could listen in on the purchase.
Officials say as Todd Martin drove around the block while Rosemary and the C.I. conducted the purchase, detectives overheard Rosemary call Smiley saying 'The money is light'. Todd Martin was also heard discussing the purchase with the C.I.
Rosemary allegedly proceeded to sell the crack cocaine to the C.I. and dropped the C.I. off where they met with detectives who then proceeded to immediately arrest Rosemary and Todd Martin, according to the complaint.
William Smiley has not yet been taken into custody.
The Superintendent for the Diocese of Scranton put out a statement to student's parents that reads:
'Dear Saint Nicholas / Saint Mary School Families,
Today, Friday, March 28, 2025, the Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System was notified of criminal charges being filed against one of our educators.
Lackawanna County detectives arrested rosemary Martin last evening on charges of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
While the allegations have no direct connection to our school, we believe it is important to inform you of this information to maintain transparency with our school community.
Mrs. Martin has only been in the classroom one day since February 28. As a result of the charges, she has now been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Because this is a law enforcement matter, we cannot provide any other information at this time. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.'
Rosemary Martin is being charged with Unlawful Delivery, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and was unable to post bail. She is due in court next on April 10th.
Todd Martin is being charged with Criminal Conspiracy to Deliver and Possess a Controlled Substance. He was unable to post bail and is due in court next on April 10th.
William Smiley is being charged with Criminal Conspiracy to Deliver a Controlled Substance as well as Criminal Use Of A Communications Facility. He has not been arrested for his alleged role in this crime.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
BREAKING: Federal immigration raids hitting Omaha
Customers are perplexed to find a South Omaha store along the main South 24th Street business district closed at mid-morning Tuesday. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner) OMAHA — Multiple immigration enforcement operations unfolding throughout Omaha on Tuesday have all local elected Latino leaders out visiting various work sites, some South Omaha businesses shutting their doors for the time being and area residents checking in with each other in a frenzy. Latino leaders tracking the situation, posting about it on social media and speaking with workers said they had heard of up to a half-dozen worksites where federal immigration agents had visited. A man trying to get some goods at a South 24th Street store said he worked at Omaha's Nebraska Beef plant, which he said let him and other employees go home at mid-morning. Roger Garcia, chairman of the Douglas County board, announced during a county board meeting Tuesday that he had to leave because his community was 'being terrorized.' 'I have to depart,' he said. 'As we speak, there's word of at least two raids happening at this moment, so I have to go. I have to try and help.' He was among leaders posting in English and Spanish on social media to keep the community informed. Among the potentially targeted businesses Tuesday were Glenn Valley Foods, LALA's and JBS, processing and production plants in the eastern part of the city. Garcia said a company spokesperson told him there was no raid at JBS. State Sens. Dunixi Guereca and Margo Juarez of South Omaha gathered mid-morning with a half dozen other community representatives on South 24th Street. Guereca pointed at the quiet business corridor, the heart of Nebraska's largest Latino business district, and said: 'This is fear.' U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no immediate comment on the moves. Local law enforcement agencies said they were not participating in the federal raids, but that they are providing agents and the public with traffic enforcement around targeted locations, as needed. Guereca said he was disappointed in the way federal agents carried out the operation, which he said created unnecessary fear for families, customers and merchants. 'Businesses closed their doors. Not only are folks not going to work, they're not consuming,' he said. Yesenia Peck, who heads the Nebraska Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, also came to the 24th Street district to check on businesses. As she approached one store, a customer was attempting to open the door, but it was locked. She said she knew of at least one foreign consulate office based in Omaha, the Guatemalan Consulate, that was sending a representative to an affected worksite. 'Everybody is scared right now. Businesses are closing,' she said. 'This is not life…' Peck said one merchant asked her, 'How are we going to pay the bills? Pay rent?' Martha Barrera, who owns a salon on 24th Street, said her workers have continued to accept customers, but she said people are in panic mode about what is happening outside the doors. She said she is happy that community leaders have offered information on rights and how to respond if federal agents were to come to her business or any others. She and others on the business corridor said their stores rely on Latino families and are worried about future commerce. Peck said she understands there are laws and people must abide by those. 'But this is not the way it should be done,' she said. 'Not cruelly.' 'What is happening right now is unbelievable. I've seen this kind of thing in other countries,' she said, including her homeland of Peru. 'It's just not the right way.' Saul Lopez, of LULAC National, was headed with other community members to pass out information about worker rights at workplaces and said a concern was for parents who might be separated from children. 'We're very worried right now about what's going on with the families.' A leader of an Omaha nonprofit that works with youths said Tuesday that the organization has been working to identify families whose working parent may have been detained and separated from their children. So far, the organization's leader said at least two kids in their care who are from two different families have a parent caught up in the operations. The organization was busy getting a hold of emergency contacts for the kids. Also Tuesday, immigration advocates and community leaders had turned a South Omaha organization into a sort of information headquarters to better understand and coordinate legal, outreach and response activities. This is a developing story. It was last updated at 2:25 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX


New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Dad of missing boy, 2, may have told tot's mom he threw son off NYC bridge : sources
The father of the 2-year-old boy who vanished during a custodial visit last month may have told the tot's mom at knifepoint that he threw their son into the Bronx River, law enforcement sources said Tuesday. Arius Williams, 20, the dad of little Montrell Williams – who has been missing since May 10 – allegedly pulled a knife on the boy's mother when they ran into each other on the street Sunday, the sources said. During the confrontation, the armed dad allegedly claimed he threw the couple's son off the Bruckner Bridge, according to the sources. 4 Arius Williams, 20, the father of little Montrell Williams, disturbingly claimed he threw his toddler son into the Bronx River, sources said. NYPD Surveillance footage from that night – showing Arius throwing a black bag into the river – could back up that claim, the sources said. The NYPD dispatched dive teams to comb the area Monday night but found nothing, and were continuing to search Tuesday, according to the sources. Arius was ordered held without bail on a warrant for custodial interference Monday, after refusing to tell a family court judge his son's whereabouts, cops and sources said. 4 Williams made the sickening claim about a month after his 2-year-old son's disappearance, sources said. Desheania Andrews Charges are pending against the dad in connection to the knifepoint incident, the sources said. The disturbing ordeal unfolded on May 10 when Montrell – who was dropped off by his mom a day earlier for a custody visit – was at his dad's Hunts Point Avenue house for a Mother's Day celebration, the sources said. At some point during that gathering, Arius – who has split custody of Montrell and visitation rights – took the boy, according to the sources. 4 NYPD divers are searching the waterway for any signs of the missing tot. Desheania Andrews Over the next few days, the boy's concerned mom called the cops, who appeared to have told her they couldn't intervene if her son is on a regularly scheduled visit, the sources said. A judge issued a warrant for the elusive dad after the mom appeared in family court on May 28, saying she had no idea of her young son or ex's whereabouts, according to the sources. And now, the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is probing the department's investigative work surrounding Montrell's case – namely whether the boy's disappearance should have been investigated as a custodial interference case rather than simply a missing person search. 4 The boy was attending a Mother's Day gathering with his dad — who has split custody of him — before he vanished, sources said. Google Maps Anyone with information on his disappearance is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at or on X @NYPDTips.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
SEIU leader charged with 'conspiracy to impede an officer' for protesting ICE raid
California labor leader David Huerta, 58, was released from federal custody on Monday on a $50,000 bond after being charged with "conspiracy to impede an officer." Huerta, the president of Service Employees International Union California (SEIU), was arrested during an anti-ICE protest in Los Angeles on Friday. Huerta was photographed wearing socks and carrying shoes following his release from custody. He told reporters he did not intend to get arrested, and the only way to win change is through nonviolence. "This fight is ours, it's our community's, but it belongs to everyone," Huerta said in Spanish, according to the Associated Press. "We all have to fight for them." Fbi Will Investigate 'Any Evidence Of A Criminal Conspiracy' In La Riots Huerta was arrested while law enforcement officers were executing a federal search warrant at a Los Angeles business suspected of hiring illegal immigrants and falsifying employment papers, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote in a federal court filing obtained by the AP. Read On The Fox News App SEIU represents 750,000 members in 17 local unions across 58 counties, according to its website. Among the members are "nurses, healthcare workers, janitors, social workers, security officers, in-home caregivers, school and university employees, court workers, and city, county and state employees." Fbi Searching For Suspect Who Allegedly Assaulted Federal Officer During Anti-ice Riots In Los Angeles While SEIU International President April Verrett said on Monday that the labor union is "relieved" that Huerta is free, she added his arrest only drew attention to a larger issue. "Thousands of workers remain unjustly detained and separated from their families. At this very moment, immigrant communities are being terrorized by heavily militarized armed forces. The Trump regime calling in the National Guard is a dangerous escalation to target people who disagree with them. It is a threat to our democracy. The federal government should never be used as a weapon against people who disagree with them," she said in a statement. "America is a nation of immigrants. Immigrant workers are essential to our society: feeding our nation, caring for our elders, cleaning our workplaces, and building our homes," Verrett added. "Immigrants are scientists, they are teachers and professors. They are our co-workers, neighbors and family members. They deserve our respect and they need their constitutional rights respected." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: SEIU leader charged with 'conspiracy to impede an officer' for protesting ICE raid