Sandra Paese, 49, and Donald “Snooks” Hoff, 49, of 2 Oak Hill Lane in Snyder Township are in the Blair County Prison in lieu of $10,000 straight bail as a result of what was found during the serving of a search warrant Wednesday night.
Paese, a local business owner, and Hoff are facing charges of: manufacture, deliver, possess with intent to deliver a controlled substance (crack cocaine); possession of controlled or counterfeit substance; possession of a small amount of marijuana/hashish for personal use; possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia; and criminal conspiracy.
The delivery of controlled substance and criminal conspiracy charges are each felony charges and each carry a maximum sentence of 15 years each in prison and a $250,000 fine. Possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia are misdemeanor charges with a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $5,000 fine.
At 6:36 p.m. on Wednesday evening, members of the Blair County Drug Task Force served a search warrant at 2 Oak Hill Lane, the residence of Donald Hoff and Sandra Paese. Hoff and Paese were found hiding in a storage room in the basement of the residence upon the entry into the premises.
Also found in the room with Hoff and Paese was a small wooden box containing a small amount of crack cocaine. In the basement, officers found scales, baggies, scissors, pipes that are commonly used for smoking crack cocaine and marijuana, tweezers, spoons, screens, lighters and various other items of drug paraphernalia. In all, 150 items of drug paraphernalia were found. Also found was a baggie containing crack cocaine weighing 4.9 grams (street valued at $2,000) and small amount of marijuana was also seized.
Both Paese and Hoff are out on bail awaiting trial from a May 13 arrest and face charges of delivery of controlled substance, criminal conspiracy, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted of the May charges, Paese and Hoff face a maximum 32 years in prison and $510,000 in fines.
“We will have to file a petition in front of the court of common pleas to revoke bail,” said Blair County District Attorney Dave Gorman. “It maybe happens once every month or two that someone gets picked up on other charges while out on bail and awaiting trial. The problem is there is only so much court time and so many judges to hear the cases.”
Gorman hopes to have a hearing in front of the Blair County Court of Common Pleas within the next couple weeks.
The normal wait between preliminary hearing and trial is approximately six months.
Officers from the Blair County Drug Task Force responded to a search warrant that was issued by District Justice Fred Miller at 4:50 p.m. In the affidavit of probable cause for the warrant, it states, on April 10, 2003 an informant purchased a small amount of powdered cocaine and a small amount of methamphetamine from the residence of Sandra Paese at 2 Oak Hill Lane. On April 18, the informant purchased a small amount of powdered cocaine at the residence of Paese.
On August 25, the informant provided Tyrone police officer Jeffrey Barr with a statement detailing how she has purchased crack cocaine from the residence of Paese and that Paese brings shipments of crack cocaine to her residence from Philadelphia. The statement also details that the crack cocaine is kept in the basement of the residence in a wooden cabinet or in boxes on shelves.
Hoff, had a preliminary hearing before District Justice Miller on Tuesday morning that was continued because the District Attorney’s office was not represented. Hoff was released on $75,000 unsecured bail and his new preliminary hearing was scheduled for September 9 at 9 a.m.
The preliminary for the new drug charges against Hoff and Paese is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. at Miller’s office.
