Vandergrift police arrest 4 men, 1 on heroin, meth charges and the others charged with burglary

Vandergrift police arrested four suspects Monday when a search warrant turned up 1,897 stamp bags of presumed heroin in East Vandergrift.

Police say they also recovered three ounces of suspected methamphetamine.

Vandergrift Borough Police Officer Nate Rigatti estimated the street value of the drugs at $15,000.

The suspects are Ryan Scott Ahern, 43, of Oakmont; Scott Andrew Kun, 39, of Harwick; and Dennis James Zawodniak Jr., 44, and Warren Keith Jarrels, 23, both of Leechburg.

According to police, officers responded around 7:30 a.m. Monday to a report of a disturbance involving two men along the 500 block of McKinley Avenue.

According to a criminal complaint, Jarrels fled the scene and a police foot chase ensued. Jarrels was later apprehended at gunpoint by police.

According to their arrest papers, both Jarrels and Zawodniak told police that a man named “Scott” was at a residence on Elm Street and the men were supposed to do “housework” at a location.

Police said Scott Kun broke into a home located in the 400 block Elm Street and stole an air conditioning unit, then assaulted Ahern. Ahern’s left eye and chest were injured.

The men were detained on scene for questioning when officers noticed a strong marijuana odor at the Elm Street residence.

Police executed a search warrant around 10:30 a.m. and say they found narcotics later determined to belong to Ahern.

According to police, a woman inside the Elm residence later told police the men had showed up at the home to steal a “large amount of narcotics.”

Police said during the investigation they determined the narcotics belonged to and were being sold by Ahern.

Ahern faces two felony charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and four drug-related misdemeanor charges.

Zawodniak is charged with felony burglary, conspiracy and causing bodily injury and simple assault.

Jarrels is charged with felony burglary, causing bodily injury and conspiracy and two misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and fleeing police.

Kun faces felony burglary and criminal conspiracy charges and a misdemeanor simple assault charge.

The men were arraigned Tuesday in front of District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec and were sent to the Westmoreland County Prison after failing to make bond.

Ahern’s bond was set at $100,000, while the other three suspects had a bond of $10,000.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for the suspects for Aug. 24 before Peck Yakopec.

None of the four suspects had an attorney listed in court records.

Gilpin police’s K-9 unit and officers from Allegheny and Kiski townships assisted during the search.