Three Oil City residents are facing drug charges, and one of them is additionally facing charges of resisting arrest, after a traffic stop in Oil City in September.
Franklin state police, in a criminal complaint, said that on Sept. 4 they initiated a traffic stop on Seneca Street on a car that had driven past. Police discovered the vehicle was registered to 33-year-old Kaitlyn O’Brien, whom police found had a suspended license.
When troopers spoke to O’Brien, who was driving, they observed one of her two passengers, 62-year-old Johnny Sokol, was in possession of an open beer can, the complaint said.
Sokol, the complaint, had a warrant for burglary, and O’Brien said she was just giving Sokol a ride, though police discovered Morgan knew Sokol.
Morgan told police that O’Brien was giving her a ride home so that Morgan could bathe her children, and that she had recently met O’Brien in jail, the complaint said.
O’Brien separately told police that she had known Morgan “most of her life,” that she was taking Morgan to “drop Morgan’s children off at their father’s to get showers,” and that Sokol’s destination was Morgan’s residence, according to the complaint.
Morgan told police that she had a valid license but was on parole and had warrants for unpaid fines, and that she had gone to jail for a parole violation, the complaint said.
O’Brien, the complaint said, gave consent for police to search the vehicle, and she admitted to possessing marijuana but said she had a medical marijuana card.
During the vehicle search, police found and seized several suspected drugs, including suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine and marijuana; and paraphernalia, such as containers, glass pipes, baggies and syringes containing suspected drug residue, the complaint said.
When troopers notified Morgan that “due to the large quantity of narcotics and packaging,” they would be arresting her for possession with intent to deliver, the complaint said, and Morgan claimed the seized substance was “not fentanyl but a cutting agent” and claimed it didn’t belong to her.
She then attempted to run from police until she was warned they would use a Taser on her, at which point she stopped and was cuffed, the complaint said.
The complaint noted that based on training and familiarity with the local area, police believed the quantity of illicit narcotics, paraphernalia and packaging were “abnormal for someone that only abuses illicit drugs” and “consistent with possession of illicit narcotics with the intent to sell/distribute.”
Morgan is facing a felony charge of manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, and misdemeanor charges of evading arrest or detention on foot, of resisting arrest, and of possessing a small amount of marijuana for personal use.
Morgan, O’Brien and Sokol are all facing misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and of use/possession of drug paraphernalia.
Sokol additionally faces a summary count of restrictions on alcoholic beverages, and O’Brien faces a misdemeanor count of possessing a small amount of marijuana, and a summary count of driving with operating privileges revoked.
Morgan’s preliminary hearing is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. March 6 before District Judge Andrew Fish; preliminary hearings for Sokol and O’Brien are set at 8:30 a.m. March 27, also before Fish.
