Latest news with #PennsylvaniaOfficeofAttorneyGeneral
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Altoona police continue targeting drug dealers from Philadelphia — 3 more arrested
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — Altoona police are continuing to work hard to keep drugs from reaching city streets from Philadelphia. In addition to multiple other recent arrests of Philadelphia residents, Altoona police arrested three men, two from Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 4. Amir Palmer-Kennedy, 20, Xavier Herring, 18, both from Philadelphia, and Raymone Kitchens, 22, of Altoona, were arrested during a traffic stop after narcotics officers received information about a dealer driving around Altoona in a silver Chevrolet Malibu. Police were able to find the Malibu and begin surveillance. According to Altoona Police, the vehicle was seen making numerous short stops at homes and businesses throughout the city. During a traffic stop, K9 Blue indicated narcotics in the Malibu. A search of the vehicle found 17 baggies stamped with the 'Chucky' doll head hidden behind a piece of trim in the car. Police noted that a total of $800 was also found, which contained previously recorded money from controlled purchases. Philadelphia duo arrested in Altoona with drugs after foot chase Officers explained the 'Chucky' bags of drugs contain a larger quantity of fentanyl than most others and cost twice as much.. Police added they've received information since the beginning of 2025 that these specific branded drugs were coming into Altoona from an area in Philadelphia. Narcotics officers noted that the 'Chucky' bags are responsible for multiple fentanyl overdoses in Altoona in 2025. All three men were arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver and conspiracy of possession with intent to deliver. Herring was also charged with a small amount of marijuana and paraphernalia, while Palmer-Kennedy was also charged with tampering with evidence, paraphernalia and a window tint violation. Both men were placed in Blair County Prison with bail set at $100,000 however, had his bail denied due to having warrants for his arrest related to drug charges in Philadelphia that he failed to appear for, court documents show. Altoona police also thanked the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and Pennsylvania State Police for their assistance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
29-04-2025
- CBS News
Pennsylvania pet owners demand justice after funeral director accused of throwing out pets' bodies
Pet owners in Pittsburgh are fighting for answers after a funeral director threw out thousands of pets' bodies and gave people different ashes, prosecutors said on Monday. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General says Patrick Vereb, the owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial, is accused of stealing more than $650,000 from over 6,500 customers who paid for pet burial and cremation services between 2021 and 2024. "I saw the story pinned from KDKA on Facebook," Kelly Goldman, of West Mifflin, said. Goldman started reading KDKA's articles and comments. "I saw his name, and I was like, Oh, my goodness," Goldman said. "I had worked at Michael's a long time ago, and he would come into the store a lot and get those frames that he used to put the remains in." She is one of 3,000-plus local pet owners who paid for Vereb's Eternity Pet Memorial and already filled out the form on the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office website, looking to find out if their animal was involved. "We had two," Goldman said. "One is mine. Her name was Chelsea, a yellow lab, and then my mom had her seeing eye dog, which was a black lab named Fawn." She's left now staring at the clear baggies she never questioned before Monday, noticing they have no tags and no cremation ID numbers. "We trusted him to do that," Goldman said, "and to give us back our pet, saying that they were in a private cremation, you will definitely get your pet back. And now we don't know." Many pet parents reached out to KDKA Investigates, saying they know Vereb dealt with their pet, but they didn't find their vet listed on the AG's website. "And the article where they said the smaller animals were improperly treated, it was just even worse because she was our tiny, little 10-pound Yorkie," Mistick said. Amber Mistick said she's waiting to hear back from the AG's office after she said her vet asked to get added to the list. Her Yorkie, Joy, bonded fiercely with her oldest daughter. "That was her dog, and she was the best dog ever," Mistick said. "I'm absolutely devastated. I'm devastated for her. I'm devastated that I had to reopen that for her. Because right before I got on with you, I had to call her and tell her." Attorney General Sunday hopes investigation will provide answers Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday hopes his office's investigation into the case will provide answers for pet owners. "Since the launch of the website, we've had over 3,800 form submissions on the website," Sunday said. "And so that's a lot. We have not seen anything like this before in the AG's office." He said the website is key because it's putting his office in a position to contact victims and collect their information. "We want victims or potential victims to be able to go to the website and to fill out the information so that we have it, so that we can contact them," Sunday said. "We want them to be able to fill out victim impact forms about how this has impacted them." That's why he's asking for everyone, even if your pet's death didn't fall within the years listed or your vet isn't currently listed, to still submit. He says the current criteria are based on the current facts of the investigation. "We would rather have someone submit and provide their information and put us in a position where we can say to them, 'Hey, you're not a victim' than someone to sit out there and worry so much about something like this," Sunday said. Sunday says his office is working in real time to reply to people. KDKA also asked Sunday about a consumer investigation since many asked about civil charges, trying to recoup their money back, since many fear they didn't get the services they paid for. He didn't want to talk about where the investigation is going to lead his office, but he added they're doing everything to make the victims whole.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man charged after power line fire at pot growing operation
DURYEA, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Drug charges were filed Monday against a Massachusetts man after a burning power line in Duryea led police to a marijuana grow operation back in August of 2024, according to court records. Police say after investigating arching wires that caused a fire, along with a smell of natural gas, they discovered an alleged marijuana grow operation inside a home in the 200 block of Marcy Street. The fire department, along with the police department, made forced entry into the home to ensure the safety of anyone potentially living in the residence after a smell of natural gas near the gas meter, according to the affidavit. Lackawanna DA confirms 3 teens in custody after Olyphant shooting Police say that when inside the home, they found over 600 marijuana plants growing. Police, along with members of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, later returned with a search warrant and said they found 'what appeared to be an extensive marijuana grow operation'. Police say they found heaters, fans, Co2 tanks, and air filtration systems. A PPL representative who responded to the scene said the amount of power being drawn by items in the home is what caused the line to catch fire, according to court records. According to police, by using evidence found in the home, they identified Minchao Yu, 43, with a last known address of Allston, Massachusetts, as the homeowner and used Yu's bank records to trace various building materials of the grow operation to Yu. Yu has not been arrested and is facing charges of manufacturing, possessing with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and risking a catastrophe. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
29-04-2025
- New York Times
Pittsburgh Funeral Home Tossed Pets' Remains in Landfill, Prosecutors Say
The owner of a Pittsburgh funeral home dumped the remains of thousands of dogs and cats in a landfill after their owners had paid more than $650,000 for their cremation and burial — then handed them back the ashes of unknown animals, according to prosecutors in Pennsylvania. Patrick Vereb, 70, the owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial in Pittsburgh, was charged on Monday with felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and deceptive business practices, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said in a statement. Mr. Vereb surrendered Monday afternoon to the authorities and was arraigned on the charges. He was released on his own recognizance, prosecutors said. A lawyer for Mr. Vereb did not immediately respond to inquiries on Tuesday. Mr. Vereb has a court hearing scheduled for May 9, according to court documents. He is accused of stealing from over 6,500 customers who paid for the burial and cremation services of their pets from 2021 to 2024, prosecutors said. 'This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians,' said Dave Sunday, the state's attorney general. 'Our pets are members of our families, and this defendant betrayed and agonized pet owners who entrusted him to provide dignified services for their beloved cats and dogs.' A spokesman for the attorney general's office said on Tuesday that a former employee of Mr. Vereb's tipped off the office and prompted the investigation. The attorney general's office said that nearly a dozen veterinary practices and businesses helped in confirming that Mr. Vereb had collected at least $657,517 in fees from pet owners who were promised a private cremation for their pet, but did not receive their actual ashes. Instead, Mr. Vereb disposed of many of the pets at a landfill whose location was not disclosed and provided customers with the ashes of other animals, prosecutors said. They did not say where the ashes had come from. The attorney general's office said that it has identified thousands of customers from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties in Western Pennsylvania as victims. A spokesman for the office said it does not provide information about victims. Because of the large number of customers who may have been impacted, the attorney general's office has launched a website to connect with victims who can share their impact statements and receive updates on the case. On its website, the Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial offered 'compassionate experts' would take care of the remains of their customers' needs for pet funeral and memorial services. 'Our mission is to assist families in creating personalized funeral experiences that honor the life of their loved ones,' the website said.
CBS News
29-04-2025
- CBS News
Funeral director threw out thousands of pets' bodies and gave owners different ashes, Pennsylvania prosecutors say
A Pittsburgh funeral home director is facing charges after prosecutors said he threw out the bodies of thousands of pets and gave owners the ashes of other animals. Seventy-year-old Patrick Vereb, the owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial, is accused of stealing more than $650,000 from over 6,500 customers who paid for pet burial and cremation services between 2021 and 2024, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General announced on Monday. Funeral director accused of throwing pets in landfill Through about 20 veterinary practices and businesses, Vereb collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from pet owners who were promised a private cremation for their pet, prosecutors said. But instead of performing the services, investigators said Vereb threw many of the pets out at a landfill, giving customers the ashes of other unknown animals. Tiffany Mantzouridis told KDKA-TV there were several red flags when she was an intern at Vereb Funeral Home. She said the pets' bodies were kept in garbage bags on top of freezers and there were discrepancies in recordkeeping. "He would take the ashes back from the crematory, and they come back in a big bag with plastic bags with twist ties on them that have the metal tag twisted onto them. And then, for some unknown reason, would take that bag into his apartment, close the door, mess around with the ashes, and they would all come back and zip lock baggies with no tags," said Mantzouridis. A woman whose cat was cremated through Vereb's business said she has a zip-close bag of ashes, but there's no crematory tag, leaving her to wonder whose remains she actually has. She called the allegations "disturbing," a sentiment echoed by Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. "This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians," Sunday said in a press release. "Our pets are members of our families, and this defendant betrayed and agonized pet owners who entrusted him to provide dignified services for their beloved cats and dogs. I commend our investigative team for a comprehensive review of voluminous records which uncovered this long-running pattern of theft and deception." Who are the victims? The state has launched a website that potential victims are encouraged to use. In addition to vets, prosecutors said Vereb also found victims through walk-in and direct-pay clients of Eternity Pet Memorial. The attorney general's office says it has identified victims from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office is asking potential victims from 2021 through 2024 to fill out a form online. According to the office's website, the following vets and businesses were impacted: Affordable Care, All About Pets, Always Compassionate, Imperial Animal Hospital, Kapr Funeral Home, Kiski Valley Animal Clinic, K-Vet, Loyalhanna Animal Hospital, Meadowlands, Plum Animal Hospital, River Valley, Dr. Mary Ann Bender, Pet Haven Pet Cemetery, Frankie's Friends, Sable Kennels, Little Creek Farm, Golden Mile Animal Clinic, Greengate Animal Clinic, Salem Animal Hospital and Monongahela Animal Hospital. Vereb is facing felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and deceptive business practices. He surrendered Monday afternoon and was arraigned on the charges before he was released on his own recognizance.
