Trafford police say driver accused of 6th DUI told them he used heroin, meth, cocaine

A 34-year-old man awaiting trial for his fifth DUI told Trafford police Sunday he was under the influence of heroin when his SUV swerved into the opposing lane.

Tyler E. Thimons of Gibsonia was stopped about 1:30 a.m. Sunday after patrolman Zlatan Avdic said he watched Thimons’ 2008 Ford Escape swerve twice into the opposite lane of traffic on Seventh Street. When Avdic approached Thimons’ vehicle, Avdic said said he saw multiple empty stamp bags of heroin in the driver’s seat and noticed Thimons “was sweating.”

“I informed Thimons of the empty stamp bags I could see in plain view. Thimons did admit to me that he had just come back from a drug purchase. (Thimons) did admit that he had just done heroin, crystal methamphetamine and cocaine earlier in the day and that was the reason he was sweating,” Avdic said in court documents.

Police said they confiscated 19 empty stamp bags in the vehicle, multiple hypodermic needles and a pipe for smoking crack cocaine during a search of the vehicle. Avdic said another 11 full stamp bags of heroin were seized from a driver’s door compartment.

According to court documents, Thimons told officers that Sunday was his sixth arrest for DUI. Online court records show he has four DUIs dating back to 2004 in Allegheny County, where he is awaiting trial following a June arrest by Hampton police, and he is awaiting trial for a 2017 DUI arrest in Butler County.

Court dockets indicated that Thimons was recently released from the Allegheny County jail on recognizance bond.

Thimons was ordered held in the Westmoreland County Prison by Export District Judge Charles R. Conway after failing to post $5,000 bond. He faces multiple charges filed by Trafford police, including driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving on a suspended license.

Police said a passenger in the SUV, Brad M. Galletta, 33, of Whitehall was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance after police said they found him in possession of 28 empty stamp bags of heroin, 10 unused Suboxone strips and a suspected crack pipe. He was released on recognizance bond.