10-03-2025
POLICE: Somerset County man caught three times with fentanyl, other drugs
SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Somerset County man is facing charges after multiple raids at an apartment led to the discovery of heroin, fentanyl and other drugs.
James Keyser, 51, is facing drug charges after he was allegedly caught with various drugs three separate times in the last year, according to a criminal complaint. The first incident was in April 2024 after officers with the PA Office of Attorney General and the Somerset County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at an apartment on Missoura Street.
Officers noted that during the search of the apartment, 'various drug paraphernalia' were located in a bedroom, along with a backpack that belonged to Keyser. Keyser agreed to let officers search his bag, and the following items were found:
20 stamp bags of suspected heroin marked 'ghostbuster'
Seven stamp bags of suspected heroin marked '420 Venom'
One baggie of suspected fentanyl
One baggie of suspected fentanyl marked 'Manitoba'
One baggie of suspected meth
Seven pills of suspected Oxycodone marked 'M05 52'
Empty stamp bags
Two sheets of tin foil
One plastic straw with white residue
One digital scale
$460 in cash
Cambria County woman caught with meth, crack and cocaine, police said
Keyser and Amy Johnson, 47, of Somerset, were found in the apartment and charged but were released at the time pending further investigation.
The second incident happened on Sept. 1, 2024, when officers with the Somerset Borough Police were called to Center Avenue for a reported overdose. Officers found an unresponsive male in a bathroom and had to administer Narcan before the patient was released into EMS care. The person who was with the overdose victim admitted that they had been with Keyser before the incident.
The witness told officers that they saw Keyser give the man two stamp bags of what they thought were heroin or fentanyl, according to the affidavit. Officers then applied for and were granted a search warrant to once again search Keyser's apartment on Missoura Street.
During a search of the apartment, officers found 43 baggies marked 'STAY HIGH' that held a crystal-like substance. They also found drug paraphernalia including glass smoking devices, stamp bags, digital scales and prescription medication.
Police also noted in the complaint that a cell phone was found and that Keyser used it to 'solicit drug sales in the hopes of buying, trading or selling illicit drugs for profit.'
The third incident happened on March 4, 2025, when officers conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, officers allegedly found 420 stamp bags of suspected fentanyl. A search warrant was granted, and they found even more suspected fentanyl and a revolver. Both Keyser and Mathew Kalina were arrested and charged for this incident.
Johnson is only facing a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 25.
Keyser is facing multiple felony charges of possession with the intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication facility, along with misdemeanor charges of intent to possess a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He's in the Somerset County Prison with bail set at 10% of $200,000. He has yet to be arraigned on charges for the third incident.
Kalina is being kept in the Somerset County Prison with charges pending, according to Somerset County District Attorney Molly Metzgar.
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