Kitchens

HOLLIDAYSBURG — The city man arrested in early June 2025 for his involvement in trafficking high-potency fentanyl packets, which police say have led to a number of overdoses in the city, was sentenced Friday to 3.5 to 15 years in a state correctional facility.

Raymone Deahaun Kitchens, 23, appeared in Blair County court alongside defense attorney Kristen Anastasi for a plea court hearing in front of Judge Jackie Atherton Bernard. He pleaded guilty to all charges across his three cases in exchange for the global sentence.

Kitchens faced four felony counts of possession with intent to deliver, three felony counts of conspiracy to commit possession with intent to deliver, two felony counts of criminal use of a communication facility, three misdemeanor counts each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia and a misdemeanor count of false identification to a law enforcement officer.

Kitchens was taken into custody alongside Philadelphia residents Xavier Jabree Herring, 19, and Amir Ishan Palmer-Kennedy, 21, who are facing similar charges in the case, following a June 2025 traffic stop in Altoona.

K-9 Blue conducted an exterior sniff of the vehicle and gave a positive alert. The vehicle was then impounded as police sought and received a search warrant.

The search turned up suspected fentanyl in 17 blue wax packets stamped with the Chucky doll face; a large, half-burned marijuana blunt; and $521 in varying denominations.

The Chucky wax packets have been plaguing the Altoona area as they contain a larger quantity of fentanyl than others, police reported. The higher potency of the packets has resulted in “numerous reported drug overdoses in Altoona,” according to state court documents related to the arrests.

Herring was sentenced by President Judge Wade A. Kagarise in August 2025 to five years’ probation after pleading guilty to two felony counts each of possession with intent to deliver and conspiracy to commit possession with intent to deliver.

Palmer-Kennedy is scheduled for jury selection on June 22. He also has two separate cases against him in Blair County that are awaiting deposition, online court documents state.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.