ROCKY GROVE, Pa. (EYT) — Six local residents who were arrested following an investigation into the trafficking of methamphetamine in the area are scheduled to stand for hearings in court today.

Court documents indicate the following individuals are scheduled to stand for preliminary hearings in Venango County Central Court at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 30:

– 22-year-old Jacob Allen Erwin, of Franklin
– 24-year-old Creena Marie Erwin, of Franklin
– 21-year-old Gage Allen Hawke, of Utica
– 21-year-old Bethany Anne Anderson, of Franklin
– 26-year-old Brett Edward Wheeler, of Franklin
– 29-year-old Scotty Allen Peterson, of Franklin

Jacob Erwin and Creena Erwin face the following charges:

– Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony
– Conspiracy — Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony
– Endangering Welfare of Children — Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Felony 2
– Intentional Possession Controlled Substance By Person Not Registered, Misdemeanor
– Conspiracy — Intentional Possession Controlled Substance By Person Not Registered, Misdemeanor
– Marijuana-Small Amount Personal Use, Misdemeanor
– Conspiracy — Marijuana-Small Amount Personal Use, Misdemeanor
– Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor
– Conspiracy — Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor

Hawke, Anderson, Wheeler, and Peterson face the following charges:

– Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony
– Conspiracy — Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony
– Intentional Possession Controlled Substance By Person Not Registered, Misdemeanor
– Conspiracy — Intentional Possession Controlled Substance By Person Not Registered, Misdemeanor
– Marijuana-Small Amount Personal Use, Misdemeanor
– Conspiracy — Marijuana-Small Amount Personal Use, Misdemeanor
– Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor
– Conspiracy — Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor

All six defendants are currently lodged in the Venango County Jail on $25,000.00 monetary bail each.

The charges stem from an investigation into the trafficking of methamphetamine in the local area.

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, on September 17, Venango County Children and Youth Services (CYS) contacted the Sugarcreek Borough Police Department asking for assistance for a reported meth lab and meth use by Jacob Allen Erwin and Creena Marie Erwin at their residence on Front Street in Franklin. The caseworker was requesting officers to stand-by with her while she checked the welfare of the children in the home, listed as a two-year-old and a four-year-old.

Officers then arrived at the residence and went around to the rear, where the only access point is located due to the front porch being removed from the residence.

The complaint states that as the officers passed the garage of the residence, they noticed a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the garage and the sound of people moving around inside. A man identified as Gage Allen Hawke exited the garage and ran to the rear door of the residence and was stopped by police. He was found to be in possession of a revolver in his waistband, the complaint states. He was then secured by the officers.

The complaint notes the revolver was later found to be fake.

Two men, identified as Brett Edward Wheeler and Scotty Allen Peterson, were then asked to exit the garage and were subsequently identified and secured. Jacob Allen Erwin, who was in the residence, came to the door and exited, and Bethany Anne Anderson, who was in the residence, then also came to the door and exited.

After all of the individuals were secured, officers checked the garage, where they noted a very strong odor of burnt marijuana and saw a multicolored glass smoking pipe in plain view on a table. Upon further investigation, they also found, in plain view, multiple smoking pipes and small baggies, both new and used, as well as marijuana, a small baggie of a crystal substance suspected to be methamphetamine, and a silver jar with a clarion lid that contained more baggies of suspected methamphetamine.

The complaint notes that while officers were escorting some of the detained individuals to the bathroom for use, there was also a glass bong and a torch observed next to the toilet.

A search warrant was then requested and granted.

According to the complaint, Creena Marie Erwin then arrived at the residence with her children, ages two and four.

The complaint states a search of the garage located 26.6 grams of a substance that later tested positive as methamphetamine, which was packaged in six separate baggies, as well as one empty vial with residue. They also located a digital scale and a silver bowl with approximately one-quarter gram of methamphetamine.

According to the complaint, inside the house, the officers located one ounce of methamphetamine, digital scales, and $1,840.00 in cash in close proximity to each other in a closet. Officers also located a loaded semi-automatic 32-caliber pistol between the mattress and the floor in the same room as the drugs and cash. There was also a plate located under the couch in the living room with loose methamphetamine and a pipe on it, as well as numerous other items of drug paraphernalia found throughout the residence.

The complaint notes the two children that reside in the residence were subject to the danger of a loaded firearm in a place that was readily accessible as well as drugs and drug paraphernalia throughout the residence in unsecured areas.

The complaint also notes that the owners of the house, Jacob and Creena Erwin, stated the house is “like a homeless shelter” and that all of the individuals at the scene had been staying at the residence.

All six defendants were arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Patrick E. Lowrey on September 17.