Police Say Ohio Men Traveled to State College to Sell Heroin

Two Ohio men are facing felony drug charges after police say they were packaging heroin for sale in a State College motel room.

According to a criminal complaint, a confidential informant told State College Police of a man who was selling heroin in the State College area. On Thursday, police said, they had the informant arrange through Facebook messenger a purchase of two bundles, or 20 bags, of heroin from the seller.

Under police surveillance, and with court-authorized audio recording, the informant allegedly met the seller in the parking lot of CVS on East Beaver Avenue, where the informant got into an SUV and was given a cigarette box with the 20 bags of heroin in exchange for $300.

Police said the seller told the informant three other men had also brought ‘dope and crystal meth’ to the area. Police stopped the SUV on Easterly Parkway and arrested the driver and another man. Charges have not yet been filed against the two men in the SUV.

The seller allegedly told police that three men had brought heroin to the Super 8 Motel on South Atherton Street. He said he rented the room for them and signed a written consent for the room to be searched, according to the complaint. The seller allegedly told police he had been given the bundles by two of the men, Richard Phelps and Michael Lopez, both of Elyira, Ohio.

Police said they arrived at the room and found a plastic bag containing 10 bags of suspected heroin floating in the toilet. Some of the bags were identical to those the informant had purchased, according to the complaint.

With the assistance of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper and a drug detection dog, police executed a search warrant on the motel room. During the search they allegedly found multiple bags containing suspected heroin and heroin residue, suspected methamphetamine, marijuana, metal spoons with suspected heroin residue, hypodermic needles, syringes, a digital scale and plastic bags. Police said some of the heroin and methamphetamine was found in Phelps’ and Lopez’s pockets

One man in the room, who has not as of yet been charged, allegedly told police that Phelps and Lopez picked up the heroin in Ohio after talking to the seller about bringing heroin to State College to sell. Police said the man told them once they arrived at the motel Phelps and Lopez packaged the heroin in bags to be sold.

Phelps, 49, was charged with seven felony counts of possession with intent to deliver, two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Lopez, 43, was charged with four felony counts of possession with intent to deliver, a felony count of criminal use of a communication facility, three misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana possession.

Both were arraigned before District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker and were unable to post $100,000 bail each.

Preliminary hearings for both men are scheduled for Wednesday.