A number of preliminary hearings were scheduled for Wednesday in Bradford, including two for a couple facing felony gun and drug charges.
Megan Sena, 24, of Roulette and James Williams III, 29, of Erie, both had charges against them bound to McKean County Court at hearings before District Judge Dominic Cercone. Sena is charged with possession of a prohibited firearm; manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver; make repairs/sell/etc. offensive weapon; three counts of use/possession of drug paraphernalia; intentional possession of a controlled substance; and marijuana-small amount personal use, while Williams is charged with manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver; possession of prohibited firearm; possession with an instrument of crime; three counts of intentional possession of a controlled substance; and two counts of use/possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the criminal complaint on July 2, the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) executed a search warrant on a Kiwanis Court apartment, which was a known address for Williams. The search warrant was executed to secure firearms, specifically a pistol Williams used in the commission of an assault on June 27 and posted to Sena’s Facebook account on June 29, the complaint alleged.
The complaint alleged that upon entry of the apartment, officers found a small silver Taurus PT-22 22LR under the pillow where Williams was laying and a black Ruger LCP .380 on an adjacent nightstand of the bedroom. Both pistols had bullets in the chamber and were fully loaded, according to police.
In addition to various drug paraphernalia, the complaint indicates a small amount of marijuana, 13 one-ounce bags of crystal methamphetamine, one one-ounce bag of cocaine, one bag of psilocybin mushrooms, one bag of 100+ gabapentin 600 mg pills and THC vape cartridges were also found in the apartment.
Both Sena and Williams are incarcerated in McKean County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Shawn M. Devitt, 34, of Bradford, also had charges against him bound to McKean County Court at a hearing before Cercone. Devitt is charged with interference with custody of children.
The criminal complaint states that on May 27, Judge Christopher Hauser signed an order granting full custody of Devitt’s children to their mother. The mother took the order to the Bradford City police station and asked for help getting her son back from Devitt.
Later that day, police found Devitt at his home and he refused to hand over the child, “saying he would fight if they attempted to take his child,” the complaint alleged.
On May 28, the order was modified to allow police to physically take custody of the boy. On June 1, police learned that Devitt was in email contact with the counselor at the boy’s school and said he would not turn himself in or give up custody of the boy, according to the complaint.
Charges of fraudulently obtaining food stamps/assistance against Tonie Westlake, 33, of Bradford, were withdrawn before Cercone.
