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Four more people are facing drug delivery and possession charges as police continued Friday and Saturday to pursue suspects.
Wade Patrick Conrad, 31, Mineral Point, was in custody of the Altoona Police Department by late Friday afternoon. He was the 25th of 28 suspects arrested during Friday’s drug sweep by Altoona police, along with agents from the state Attorney General’s Office and officers with the Blair County Drug Task Force.
Early Saturday morning, Altoona police announced the arrest of three more, also on drug charges but not among the 28 original suspects.
They are:
– Faraaj Houston, 33, Willow Grove and Altoona, charged with three counts of delivery or possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine, criminal use of a communication device and possession.
– Shannon Terrell Bennett, 33, 871 Fifth St., charged with delivery, possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
– Thomas Alan Lang, 38, 2313 12th Ave., charged with delivery or possession with intent to deliver heroin and possession of a controlled substance.
Both Houston and Bennett were arrested shortly before 6 p.m. Friday at Bennett’s residence.
Police said Houston provided crack cocaine to Bennett who then sold the drug to a confidential informant. In a search of Houston’s vehicle, police reported finding 10 plastic bags of crack cocaine and $423, including $200 provided to the confidential informant to make the buy.
Court records indicate that Houston was previously convicted in Blair County on drug-selling charges and served a four-to eight-year prison sentence for conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to deliver. At his sentencing hearing in September 2010, Houston asked Blair County Judge Elizabeth Doyle for leniency by depicting himself as a respectable person who was good to the people who sold drugs for him.
In a separate incident Friday, Altoona police arrested Lang at 11th Street and and Lexington Avenue shortly after 9 p.m. and charged him with delivering 20 packets of heroin to a confidential informant. As a result of that sale, officers seized Lang’s vehicle and found cash, including $350 provided to the confidential informant to buy the heroin.
All three men remained in the Blair County Prison as of Saturday. Bail for each was set at $50,000.