SAEGERTOWN, Pa. – Seven people have been charged for using greeting cards to smuggle prescription drugs into the Crawford County prison, state Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced on Wednesday.
The investigation began in March after prison staff noticed a suspicious holiday greeting card that was sent to 22-year-old Tyler Beers, of Crawford County, who was incarcerated at the correctional facility, Kane said. Further investigation of the card revealed it contained strips of Suboxone, a drug commonly used to treat narcotic addiction.
Authorites interviewed prison staff, and learned that another inmate, 30-year-old Steven Tilford, was suspected of using Suboxone while incarcerated.
Investigators reviewed their mail records and phone calls and learned they had been receiving mail from persons with fictitious names, investigators allege. Further investigation also revealed Tilford’s girlfriend, 39-year-old Vanessa Stahlman, had secured the Suboxone and allegedly mailed it into the jail using Tyler Beers as the recipient.
Stahlman allegedly received the Suboxone from Jessica Hess, 27, and Yvonne King, 30, who obtained it illegally from different sources. The boyfriends of Hess and King, 26-year-old John Vanderhoof and 30-year-old Martin Calzada, also assisted in getting the Suboxone and mailing it into the prison, investigators allege.
The defendants will be prosecuted by Crawford County District Attorney Francis J. Schultz.
Below is a list of the suspects and the charges against them:
- Vanessa M. Stahlman , 39, 14238 Brown Road, Crawford County, is charged with four counts each of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons and conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance. She is also charged with one count each of delivery of a controlled substance to a confined person, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility.
- Steven M. Tilford , 30, currently incarcerated in CCCF, is charged with four counts each of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons, conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, solicitation of a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons, solicitation of a controlled substance or contraband and one count of criminal use of communication facility.
- Yvonne M. King , 30, 14238 Brown Road, Crawford County, is charged with two counts each of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons and delivery of a controlled substance, in addition to one count of criminal use of communication facility.
- Martin J. Calzada , 30, currently incarcerated in CCCF, is charged with two counts each of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons, solicitation of a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons, conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband, solicitation of a controlled substance or contraband and one count of criminal use of communication facility.
- Tyler M. Beers, 22, 328 Columbia Ave., Crawford County, is charged with three counts each of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons and conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband.
- Jessica M. Hess , 27, no fixed address, is charged with three counts of criminal use of a communication facility, two counts of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons.
- John H. Vanderhoof , 26, no fixed address, is charged with three counts each of solicitation of a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons and solicitation of delivery of a controlled substance. Other charges are two counts each of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband, conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance or contraband to confined persons and one count of criminal use of communication facility.
