NEW CASTLE —
An alleged heroin dealer was arrested Wednesday following repeated complaints to the police from his North Hill neighbors.
New Castle and Lawrence County narcotics officers, serving a sealed search warrant, broke in the door of a house at 139 E. Leasure Ave. around 7 a.m. and arrested Matthew Clavelli, 28, who has addresses listed there and on Northview Avenue.
This was the second visit the narcotics team had paid to the house in the past two months.
Clavelli’s father, Joseph R. Clavelli, is the owner of the house and lives there, according to county assessment records.
Police said a 2-year-old boy and a pit bull were in the house where they found more than 6 grams of heroin, including a 4.6-gram chunk of pure heroin, and some that had been cut with other substances for sale, according to Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa.
One ounce is equal to 28.35 grams.
Police said two other people were in the residence with Matthew Clavelli and the toddler.
In court documents, officers described the living conditions in the house as deplorable and noted raccoon feces were exposed in the living room fireplace. The odor was so bad that several of the officers had to disrupt the search to go outside for fresh air, according to the document.
Lamancusa said the heroin was hidden in multiple locations throughout the house.
Items confiscated included the 4.6-gram chunk, a second bag of suspected heroin weighing 1.6 grams that was in a dresser drawer, a cigarette box containing a small amount of suspected pure heroin, two methadone bottles, an owe sheet, a stamp bag of about 0.3 grams of suspected heroin packaged for sale, a folded lottery ticket packaged with heroin as a makeshift stamp bag, drug paraphernalia of various types and $241.
New Castle Police Chief Bobby Salem explained a stamp bag, used to package cut heroin for sale, typically contains about 0.3 gram.
“We’ve been getting a lot of complaints for awhile now about that house,” Salem said. “They’ve had a lot of heavy traffic in and out and were disturbing the neighborhood a lot.”
Lamancusa said many complaint calls were received by the city police and on the drug task force hotline.
Salem said Matthew Clavelli signed a written statement admitting the drugs were his.
The police had conducted a search at the same house Jan. 9, when they went there to arrest Michael P. Roberts, 33, of that address, who was wanted on multiple warrants.
Police said Roberts is the father of the toddler who was in the house Wednesday. During the Jan 9 visit, police confiscated Xanax tablets and other items and Roberts told them that he had chewed up eight or nine roxycodone tablets and was ingesting about 20 30-milligram roxycodone tablets per day, the document states. He told police he was selling drugs to support his drug habit, and that he was taking about a gram of heroin every morning when he woke up, the report said.
Wednesday’s detail was conducted by the district attorney’s drug task force and the New Castle police narcotics officers, special operations team and K-9 officers. Neshannock and Union Township police also participated.
Matthew Clavelli was charged Wednesday with possession with intent to deliver, conspiracy for possession with intent to deliver, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Clavelli was arraigned by District Judge Melissa A. Amodie and lodged in the Lawrence County jail in lieu of $100,000 bond.
(Email: dwachter@ncnewsonline.com)
DailyRecord
Related Photos
-
Matthew Clavelli
Discussion
Police arrest accused North Hill heroin dealer
- DailyRecord
-
-
Police called to Halco Drive disturbance
An apparently intoxicated Halco Drive man drew a crowd Thursday night. New Castle police were called about 6:30 p.m. and found a 19-year-old man cutting his face and head with the razor blade of a utility knife.
-
Two injured in Mill Street, Taylor accidents
Two people were injured in a pair of accidents Thursday, New Castle police reported. One involved a car that went over an embankment off West Pittsburg Road in Taylor Township around noon.
-
Drug charges filed after raid
Police have charged four people arrested during a drug raid Wednesday in Union Township. Members of the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force executed a sealed search warrant at 27 Spring St. All four suspects live at that address, according to court records.
-
North Hill man hospitalized after crash
A New Castle man who hit a tree in Pulaski Township has been admitted to St. Elizabeth Health Center. According to Pulaski Township police, Adam Welsh, 36, of 202 E. Fairmont Ave., was eastbound on Route 422 about 1:30 a.m. Thursday when his pickup truck left the road.
-
On The Record: Today’s births and district judge reports
On the Record is a periodic update of public information coming out of the Lawrence County Government Center and local police departments. Look inside for the latest listing of police items and district judge reports.
-
East Side garage ‘total loss’ in fire
The New Castle police department fire investigator was called for a blaze at a garage. The three-bay garage at 626 Superior St. was a total loss, according to New Castle firefighters, who were called about 11:40 p.m. Wednesday. They remained at the scene until nearly 3 a.m.
-
Hearings in fatal crashes are postponed
A hearing for the woman accused of striking a police cruiser and killing a Shenango Township officer has been rescheduled. Kylee Gwen Barletto, 26, of 693 Hoover Road, will face a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. June 6. It had been scheduled for Thursday morning.
-
Shenango man accused of breaking into car
A Shenango man was arrested after he allegedly was caught breaking into a car on New Castle’s East Side. New Castle police charged Jessie Lauderbaugh, 23, of Highview Drive with fleeing from police, theft from a motor vehicle, disorderly conduct and loitering and prowling at night.
-
On The Record: Today’s births, police items and district judge reports
On the Record is a periodic update of public information coming out of the Lawrence County Government Center and local police departments. Look inside for the latest listing of police items and district judge reports.
-
Police arrest four in Union Township drug raid
Four people were arrested and drugs and a gun were confiscated Wednesday when police raided a house in Union Township. Union Township police, with the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force and New Castle police special response team and narcotics unit, served a sealed search warrant at 27 Spring St. just before 6:30 a.m.
- More DailyRecord Headlines
-
Police called to Halco Drive disturbance
