BEDFORD - An Everett father and son were arrested after a two-month investigation into an attempted murder solicitation in exchange for a NASCAR collection.
Allen Bridges, 53, and his son, Jacob, 19, were arrested Friday after an investigation by Pennsylvania State Police and the Bedford County Drug Task Force.
Allen Bridges, currently in Bedford County Jail on drug charges, was soliciting another individual to murder a witness scheduled to testify against him in his upcoming drug trial, police said.
In April, another inmate told police that Bridges offered a large quantity of NASCAR items if that inmate would put him in touch with someone who could ''feed [the witness] to the pigs'' and make the witness ''disappear forever.''
In May, Detective Steve Shelly posed as a potential hit man. When Bridges spoke to Shelly on the phone, he made arrangements for Jacob Bridges to make a down payment and provided Shelly with the son's phone number.
When Shelly met with Jacob Bridges, the son said he knew what the hit was about and specifically named the witness his father was trying to have killed.
After providing a large trash bag of NASCAR memorabilia to Shelly, Jacob Bridges then made a cutting motion with his hand across his throat.
District Attorney William Higgins said it was fortunate that the Bridges' plan was foiled before any harm was done.
''It is a credit to the officials at the Bedford County Jail, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Bedford County Drug Task Force that they were able to promptly respond to the defendant's efforts to kill a witness,'' Higgins said. ''Now this defendant has lost not only his prized and extensive collection of NASCAR memorabilia, but will spend a substantial portion of his life behind bars, and sadly, has brought his son down with him.''
Both men were arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Kathy Calhoun, with bail set at $500,000 for Allen Bridges and $200,000 for Jacob Bridges. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday.
This is the second recent murder solicitation case in Bedford County.
In March, a known area drug dealer was charged with the same crime after allegedly writing a letter asking someone to murder a "snitch" in his case.
James W. Anderson, 27, was arrested on three separate occasions between December and February, all having to do with drug activity in the Everett area.
Anderson was arrested again after police discovered a letter he wrote while in Bedford County Prison, asking someone to give a lethal mixture of drugs and another substance to a person responsible for at least one of his arrests.
In the letter, Anderson requested that the victim appear to die from a drug overdose, police reports said. He still is awaiting trial.
Mirror Staff Writer Wendy McCardle is at 946-7520.
