Police: Clairton man sold drugs while working at Cricket Wireless in Rostraver

A Clairton man is in the Westmoreland County Prison after police said he was selling drugs during his work hours at a Rostraver store.

Melvin T. Payne, 42, was jailed Thursday on $250,000 bail after police reported making two drug purchases through a confidential informant this month.

He is facing drug and criminal use of a communication facility charges.

North Huntingdon police met with the confidential informant who bought a brick of suspected heroin from Payne on Nov. 11 while he was working at the Cricket Wireless store in Tri-County Plaza, according to court papers. The confidential informant was provided with $200 to make the purchase, police said.

Four days later, another brick of suspected heroin was purchased for $200 from Payne while he was at work. An agent from the state attorney general’s office reported the confidential informant met only with Payne while inside the store, according to court papers.

Charges against him were filed Thursday and two search warrants were served simultaneously at the Cricket store and Payne’s home, according to a joint news release from Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli and Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

Police said they seized 30 bricks of heroin, about 63 grams of cocaine, about 43 grams of crack cocaine, 2 pounds of marijuana and other drugs, as well as $10,000. Payne has not been charged in connection with those items.

He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A Dec. 2 preliminary hearing is set. There was no answer at the store Monday afternoon.

Payne had been free on bail in an Allegheny County drug case filed earlier this year stemming from a February 2020 incident in Clairton, according to online court records. Trial is tentatively scheduled for January.