Mirror photo by Greg Bock / Autumn Koch, 40, is escorted from Central Court on Fourth Street on Friday as Altoona police and the Blair County Drug Task Force fanned out across the area with arrest warrants for 17 suspected drug dealers. Koch, of Altoona, is accused of selling heroin to police informants on four occasions.

Sitting in a courtroom at Central Court on Fourth Street on Friday morning, 40-year-old Autumn Koch squirmed in her seat, occasionally reaching up through the neck hole of an orange hooded sweatshirt over her arms, to scratch her face with cuffed hands.

She sat crosslegged, her foot bouncing incessantly, as Magisterial District Judge Daniel DeAntonio arraigned her on multiple felony and misdemeanor drug charges stemming from four alleged sales of heroin over the past six months.

Koch told the judge that she had problems with drugs and was a recovering alcoholic who was also on methadone.

“Heroin and (methamphetamine),” she said. “However, I pretty much beat heroin and now, it’s just meth.”

Koch was one of 17 people targeted by Altoona police, agents with the Attor­ney General’s Bureau of Nar­cotics Investigation and other members of the Blair County Drug Task Force on Friday in the latest drug sweep.

The unemployed Koch had been arrested that morning at 409 Beech Ave., one of two places where she said she stays.

Altoona police Lt. Jeffrey Pratt said when police arrived at the house Friday morning, 36-year-old Robert Burkhart answered the door and tried to tell officers that Koch wasn’t home, although police were suspicious because when they first knocked, they heard a woman’s voice asking who was at the door.

Burkhart now faces charges for hindering Koch’s arrest.

Pratt said the house was littered with drug needles and conditions inside were so squalid that city code enforcement was called in and ultimately condemned the building.

He said along with the paraphernalia found at the house, methamphetamine was also recovered.

Koch, who said she is unemployed and collects Social Security benefits but is looking for work, is accused of selling heroin to police informants on three occasions in November, including the sale of 30 packets for $400 that Koch allegedly arranged on Nov. 21. In February, Koch allegedly sold two packets of heroin to an informant for $40, according to the charges filed by Altoona police.

“Today’s drug arrests demonstrate our communities’ continued struggle with the abuse of both street drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, as well as prescription drugs,” Blair County First Assistant District Attorney Pete Weeks said. “The investigations were done by local law enforcement in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the assistance of Operation Our Town.”

Of the 17 facing charges, eight were arrested or turned themselves in to police by Friday afternoon. Several are already in jail and will be arraigned in the coming days, police said. The suspects on Friday were arraigned by DeAntonio and Magisterial District Judge Ben Jones.

“My office has arrested more than 200 drug dealers through these sweeps in the Altoona region since I was sworn in as attorney general,” Attorney General Shapiro said in a statement on Friday. “After the first sweep, I promised to remain vigilant and keep coming back to arrest anyone peddling this poison in Altoona and Blair County — and we’ve kept that commitment. We’ll continue working with our law enforcement partners to keep this region safe and get these drugs out of our communities.”

When DeAntonio asked Koch about her prior arrest record in order to set her bail, she readily admitted she had been arrested in the past, but couldn’t come up with any specifics.

“I don’t know,” Koch said. “The last time I was in handcuffs I don’t remember what the charges were — drugs, I guess.”

When DeAntonio set Koch’s bail at a total of $100,000 cash — $25,000 cash for each of her four cases — she was incredulous.

“What? Really?” Koch asked. “Can’t I go to rehab?”

“When you get out,” DeAntonio said, in reference to Blair County Prison where she will be lodged to await her preliminary hearing on May 2, when all the drug cases from Friday are scheduled for Central Court.

These suspects were arraigned Friday:

— Erica Riley, 32, Altoona, is charged with two counts each of delivery and possession of Suboxone, along with criminal use of a communication facility. She was released on two unsecured $50,000 bonds.

— Jason Weyandt, 43, Imler, is charged with two counts of conspiracy and three counts each of delivery and possession of heroin, along with criminal use of a communication facility. He was jailed in lieu of a total of $150,000 cash bail.

— Autumn Koch, 40, Altoona, is charged with three counts conspiracy and four counts each of delivery and possession of heroin, along with criminal use of a communication facility. She was jailed in lieu of a total of $100,000 cash bail.

— Katy Beam, 35, Altoona, is charged with two counts each of delivery and possession of Suboxone, along with criminal use of a communication facility. She was jailed in lieu of a total of $40,000 cash bail.

— Tara Dennis, 28, Altoona, is charged with two counts of conspiracy and three counts each of delivery and possession of Suboxone, clonazepam or methylphenidate, along with criminal use of a communication facility. She is jailed in lieu of a total of $60,000 cash bail.

— Deborah Beckwith, Altoona, 66, is charged with one count each of delivery and possession of oxycodone, along with criminal use of a communication facility. She was released on a unsecured $25,000 bond.

— Trisha Gregorchik, 34, Altoona, is charged with one count each of delivery and possession of Suboxone, along with criminal use of a communication facility. She was released on a unsecured $50,000 bond.

The following suspects are already incarcerated and will be arraigned in the coming days:

— Alicia Pecze, 31, Thompson Road, Mineral Point, is charged with one count of conspiracy and two counts each of delivery and possession of crack or heroin, along with criminal use of a communication facility.

— Michael Flemmings-Smith, 29, Johnstown, is charged with one count each of conspiracy, delivery and possession of heroin and criminal use of a communication facility.

The following suspects were still at-large as of Friday afternoon:

— Jeremy Abram, 26, Altoona, is charged with one count of conspiracy and six counts each of delivery and possession of cocaine, crack or heroin, along with criminal use of a communication facility.

— Daniel Hogans IV, 42, Altoona, is charged with one count each of conspiracy, delivery and possession of crack and criminal use of a communication facility.

— Brandi Rupert, 27, Altoona, is charged with one count each of conspiracy, delivery and possession of crack and criminal use of a communication facility.

— Matthew Rajnish, 31, Duncansville, is charged with one count each of conspiracy, delivery and possession of Suboxone and criminal use of a communication facility.

— Lynann Shaffer, 27, Altoona, is charged with one count each of conspiracy, delivery and possession of cocaine and criminal use of a communication facility.

— Knowledge Jones, 35, Altoona, is charged with two counts of conspiracy and three counts each of delivery and possession of cocaine, along with criminal use of a communication facility.

— Theodore Toney, 39, Altoona, is charged with one count each of conspiracy, delivery and possession of cocaine and criminal use of a communication facility.

— Brock Bantum, 42, Philadelphia, is charged with one count each of conspiracy, delivery and possession of heroin and criminal use of a communication facility.