GIRARDVILLE — A response to a cardiac arrest in the borough Wednesday night led Girardville police to uncover a stash of weapons, ammunition and drug paraphernalia.
Police Chief Melville Tomeo said he and Girardville EMS were called about 8:20 p.m. to a home at 310 A St. for a report of a cardiac arrest.
At the scene Tomeo said emergency crews found David Wasner, 24, inside the home unresponsive and turning blue. He said crews were able to revive Wasner using CPR and transported him to a Pottsville hospital for further treatment.
When he regained consciousness, Tomeo said, Wasner admitted using heroin prior to the incident and that items of drug paraphernalia, including a syringe, was found on the floor.
Also in the room, Tomeo said, police found a large amount of rifles, ammunition, knives and swords and items of drug paraphernalia.
One of the weapons, a 12-gauge shotgun, was loaded.
“You never know what you’re going to walk into,” Tomeo said referring to large amount of weapons and someone capable of using them.
Tomeo said that Wasner will be charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and that checks will be made on the long guns, the shotgun, a .22-caliber rifle and a Russian army rifle, to see if they were legally purchased.
Inside a suitcase-type container, Tomeo said, there were numerous boxes of various caliber ammunition and inside a smaller suitcase-type box were syringes, baggies, spoons and knives, some of which had burn marks and residue on them.
The discovery and overdose comes less than 10 days after police arrested a Unityville man on drug charges.
Tomeo said that on May 3 he charged Joseph Sanders, 65, of 8205 Moreland Baptist Road, with drug-related offenses as well as well as driving while under DUI suspension that carries mandatory prison time.
Those charges stem from a complaint made by a resident about Sanders selling illegal drugs from his vehicle parked in front of 27 W. Main St.
Sanders was detained and taken into custody, during which time he was found with a packet of small red envelopes commonly used for packaging narcotics as well as three small red envelopes that contained a red powdery substance that he said was methamphetamine, the chief said.
Tomeo said that with the assistance of Ashland police, the powder was field tested and gave a positive indication for methamphetamine.
The drugs, as well as cash that Sanders had with him, were confiscated and his vehicle towed from the scene.
Police said their investigation determined that Sanders has been involved in the interstate sales of narcotics.
Tomeo said that his department will continue its crackdown on the use of illegal narcotics and asks that anyone with information on the use or sale of these drugs to call Girardville police at 570-276-6955 or through the Schuylkill County Communications Center at 570-462-1991.