Munitions plant guard is facing drug/Gun charges

[Damage control]

Posted under fair use.

BY STACEY SOLIE
STAFF WRITER
03/25/2008
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A raid of the suspect’s home yielded the drugs and a cache of 13 semiautomatic assault rifles and handguns, at least 1,000 rounds of ammunition, knives, bulletproof vests, gas masks and a bounty-hunting badge that resembles a police badge, according to detectives with the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office.

Thomas “Skeet” Evanitsky, 31, of Scranton, was arrested without incident Thursday at the General Dynamics munitions plant on Cedar Avenue, where he worked as a security guard for Wilkes-Barre-based contractor Century Security since November.

On at least two occasions in the parking lot of his workplace, Mr. Evanitsky exchanged drugs for cash stuffed inside bags of takeout food, detectives said.


Mr. Evanitsky is licensed to carry a gun, and he had permits for all the guns. He is also a bounty hunter, trained by the U.S. Recovery Bureau, a New Jersey-based company, said Detective Vincent Butkiewicz, of the district attorney’s office.

On Feb. 12, an informant picked up a Big Mac value meal at a nearby McDonald’s, allegedly at the request of the suspect, and then, according to detectives, took it to Mr. Evanitsky at work. The informant drove into the guarded, gated lot and handed over the burger and cash in exchange for a bag of cocaine, they said.

Ten days later, the suspect allegedly again traded drugs for money in the parking lot he was being paid to guard. This time the cash was hidden inside a bag of takeout from Alfredo’s Restaurant. The informant had been fitted with a tiny video camera to record the transaction, detectives said.

A third exchange allegedly took place March 19 in the suspect’s car, detectives said, after which investigators obtained a warrant to search the suspect’s home at Rear 523 Hemlock St.

Inside they found several semiautomatic assault rifles and handguns, knives, loaded magazines and boxes of bullets, two bulletproof vests and two gas masks. A safe inside the suspect’s closet contained 3.5 ounces of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $10,000; one-quarter ounce of marijuana, worth an estimated $500; Percocet tablets worth about $1,000; and Xanax, worth a couple hundred dollars.

The proximity of guns and drugs made investigators nervous.

“Anyone can plainly see that if the investigators had to use force, it could’ve been dangerous,” said District Attorney Andy Jarbola. The suspect was even equipped for a tear-gas attack, he said.

Guards at the General Dynamics plant were reluctant to talk about Mr. Evanitsky or Century Security company policies, but a spokesman at the company’s dispatch headquarters said there was nothing in Mr. Evanitsky’s background to raise any flags.

“He was a wonderful officer,” said Dan Yeager, the director of operations for Century Security. “Nobody suspected anything.”

The company does criminal background checks and drug tests of all its employees, he said.

Mr. Evanitsky is being charged with three counts of unlawful delivery, three counts of possession with intent to deliver and three counts of possession of a controlled substance. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday. He is being at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $300,000 bail.

Contact the writer: ssolie@timesshamrock.com

Here we go with this shit again.

[mikepro8]

Cripes. I must look like I'm starting a war... I only order ammo in quantities of 500 or more.
I must be a evil person.

And thank the Lord above I have permits for ALL my guns.

[Damage control]

Cripes. I must look like I'm starting a war... I only order ammo in quantities of 500 or more.
I must be a evil person.

And thank the Lord above I have permits for ALL my guns.

Yeah really. Can you say propaganda machine trying to pass them new gun laws. The press is a fukin joke we should make them print a retracement about "permitted guns".

[headcase]

The drug values are ridiculous. 1/4 ounce worth $500??!! Current street value $45-$60. If they lie about that, what else did they lie about??.........

[Autonomous]

I second what headcase said...

BUT...what an azzhat. It sounds like something in an after school special. Cash stuffed in take out containers? What the hell. Selling coke on the job? Sounds like this guy was dumber than a box of hair...
-A

[sjl127]

Subject: Re: Munitions plant guard is facing drug/Gun charges
From: Stacey Solie <ssolie@timesshamrock.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 25, 2008 11:37 am
To: sjl127


Dear Mr. ,

Thanks for pointing this out. I had no intention of giving anyone a bad image, but was trying to convey that the suspect's guns were acquired within the law. I spoke with my editor and we will publish a clarification.

-stacey

------ Original Message ------
From: Me <>
Date: Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 10:59 AM EDT
To: ssolie@timesshamrock.com
Subject: Munitions plant guard is facing drug/Gun charges

It was incorrect to mention that "... and he had permits for all the
guns."

There is no such thing as a permit to own a firearm.

Yes, you do need a permit to carry a handgun concealed, but not to
own one.

Incorrect reporting like this only gives us law abiding gun owners a
bad image.

Please write a correction.

Sincerely,

[Damage control]

+4 sjl127 Good job!

[headcase]

sjl127- Damn fine shootin'

[sjl127]

They, the scranton times, printed the corrections I suggested...

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site...d=590572&rfi=8