DRUGS, GUNS SEIZED
This evidence was collected by police at the Sixth Avenue home.
Undercover buys lead to raid in Ridley Township:
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP » Complaints of drug sales at a residence on Sixth Street prompted an undercover investigation by the township police Anti-Crime Unit that included four controlled drug buys and culminated Friday with the arrest of three people and the confiscation of six firearms and small amounts of heroin and cocaine.
“This house is a nuisance house. We’ve received a number of complaints about drug activity, open drug transactions,” Police Capt. Scott Willoughby said Wednesday announcing the arrests of Steven Lacy, as well as Nicholas Woyurka and his mother, Catherine Woyurka.
Catherine Woyurka, 53, is the owner of the ranch house in the 2100 block of Sixth Avenue, where Lacy has been residing since May. Lacy and Nicholas Woyurka, both 23, are friends, according to Willoughby.
The first two undercover drug transactions occurred on July 11 in the bathroom of a Wawa on East MacDade Boulevard and July 12 outside the Sixth Avenue residence.
Both times, according to the probable cause affidavit, the undercover officer was acting as a member of the Delaware County Drug Task Force when he sent a text to Lacy’s cell phone number for the purpose of purchasing Oxycodone. And both times, Lacy allegedly provided the officer with four 15 mg pills in exchange for $60.
On July 24, according to the affidavit, the undercover officer met with the Woyurkas at the Sixth Avenues residence. This meeting was arranged by text-messaging the same number the officer had used to previously contact Lacy.
“The purpose of this meeting was to purchase cocaine,” the affidavit states.
In the text to Lacy’s phone number, the officer asked him if he “had anything,” referring to narcotics. The officer received a return text saying he “has two 20s of white,” believed by the officer to mean two $20 baggies of cocaine.
“Lacy then advised (the officer) through text that if he was not at the residence, (the officer) could just knock on the door and his boy would serve (the officer,” the affidavit states. When the officer arrived at the Sixth Avenue residence, he parked in the driveway and called Lacy.
Lacy reportedly told the officer that his boy “Nick” would be out with the cocaine, the affidavit states.
As the transaction continued, Nicholas Woyurka and his mother exited the house and walked over to the undercover officer’s vehicle. The officer handed $40 to Nicholas Woyurka and in return, Catherine Woyurka handed the officer two clear plastic baggies containing cocaine, the affidavit states. Afterward, the Woyurkas walked away and entered the house.
Three days later, on July 27, the undercover officer met a third time with Lacy to purchase $80 worth of cocaine. The meeting, again arranged via text to Lacy’s cell phone, occurred at Sixth Avenue and Wendy Road.
When the officer arrived at the meeting point, the officer textmessaged Lacy who told the officer he would be riding a bicycle. Before long, Lacy pedaled his bicycle over to the officer’s vehicle and handed two clear plastic baggies of cocaine to the officer, in exchange for $80, the affidavit states.
It was about 6 a.m. Friday, July 28, when the undercover officer, along with members of the county’s drug task force, arrived at the Sixth Avenue residence in Ridley’s Morton postal section, armed with a search warrant. All three suspects were in the home, asleep.
Catherine Woyurka was sleeping on the couch in the living room on the first floor; her son Nicholas was in a bedroom on the first floor; and Lacy was in another bedroom on the first floor.
Recovered from a purse next to the couch where Catherine Woyurka was sleeping was a cell phone in a case with several credit cards and a Pennsylvania driver’s license in her name, as well as an unmarked pill bottle containing a blue wax paper bag containing heroin and two cut straws commonly used to ingest heroin.
Recovered from the bedroom where Nicholas Woyurka was sleeping was a cell phone, his state ID card, and a silver and black Springfield Armory handgun, registered to Lacy.
Recovered from the bedroom where Lacy was sleeping was an iPhone with an attached ID holder. Insider of the holder was Lacy’s Pennsylvania driver’s license and a debit card. Articles of his clothing were found throughout the room, as well as in a closet. Also found in the close was a black, Stevens 12-gauge shotgun with a modified barrel.
During a search of the basement, police found a black Sentry safe. In the safe were two expired driver’s licenses for Lacy, as well as Lacy’s Social Security card, passport and numerous, new and unused packaging materials, three digital scales and a bag of cocaine.
Also found in the basement, either in or out of a gun safe, were four firearms: A Ruger American gun, a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, a Sears .22-caliber long rifle and a .40-caliber Glock with an extended magazine.
“All of them were loaded,” Willoughby said of the six recovered firearms.
According to Willoughby, the Springfield Armory, the Mossberg and the Glock firearms were legally owned by Lacy. The other three were unlicensed, he said.
Lacy is charged with four counts each of possession with the intent to manufacture or deliver, possession of a controlled substance by person not registered, use of possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal use of a communication facility. Additional charges include making repairs/selling an offensive weapon, as well as criminal conspiracy to engage in possession with the intent to manufacture or deliver and possession of drugs and paraphernalia.
He remains incarcerated at the county prison in lieu of posting bail, which Magisterial District Judge Vincent D. Gallagher Jr. set at 10 percent of $250,000 at the July 28 preliminary arraignment. His preliminary hearing listed for today, Aug. 3, before Magisterial District Judge Nicholas S. Lippincott has been continued for at least one week, Willoughby said.
Both Catherine and Nicholas Woyurka are charged with one
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