Scranton Police K-9 Unit Takes A Gun And Drugs Off The Street
On 08/31/2007 at approximately 1300 hrs. Ptlm. Robert Stelmak and K9 Blitz of the Scranton Police Dept. were patrolling in the area of 2100 blk. of Pond Ave. looking for a suspect that was wanted in connection to a home invasion with a handgun. Ptlm. Stelmak located a subject matching the description of the suspect operating a motor scooter. A traffic stop was initiated when the vehicle did not have registration plate. Ptlm. Stelmak approached the subject and began to obtain his information. The suspect later identified as Norman Senior became more nervous and attempted several times to walk away from Stelmak. Ptlm. Stelmak asked Senior to place his hands on the hood of the patrol car so a pat down could be done for weapons, since it was known that the subject could be armed with a handgun. Senior refused and a struggle broke out between Senior and Ptlm. Stelmak. Stelmak and Senior were engaged in fight in the middle of the roadway when Senior with his left hand pulled something out of his pocket and threw it into a wood area along the road way. Senior then escaped from Stelmak and fled on foot heading south on Pond Ave. A K9 warning announcement was made and Ptlm. Stelmak deployed his K9 partner Blitz from the patrol car using the bail out system. Senior ran around a row house and crashed thru a 6 foot wooden fence with K9 Blitz and Ptlm. Stelmak in pursuit. Senior continued thru the rear yard to small area near a shed where he was cornered by K9 Blitz. Senior then put his hands in the air and surrendered. K9 Blitz was recalled before making contact with Senior. Senior continued to comply with Stelmak’s verbal commands, was handcuffed then escorted by Stelmak and K9 Blitz back to the roadway as backup officers were arriving. Senior was turned over to other patrol officers.
K9 Blitz was then re-deployed to the wood area along the road to conduct an article search for the item that was thrown by Senior during the initial struggle. K9 Blitz began searching the heavily littered side of the road when a noticeable change in K9 Blitz’s behavior was observed; K9 Blitz then worked the scent cone uphill and gave positive indication that he had located something by stopping and putting his nose on the object. K9 Blitz was given his reward and called out of the area. The area where K9 Blitz gave his indication was checked and a loaded .38 caliber Derringer style hand gun was recovered. The victims of the home invasion were brought to the 2100 of Pond Ave where they positively identified Senior. A search warrant was later served on the home of Norman Senior for items that were taken in the home invasion along with ammunition for the recovered handgun, in serving the initial search warrant Detectives located what they believed to be narcotics.
A second search warrant was issued to search the home for narcotics and Ptlm. Stelmak and K9 Blitz responded back to the house at 2150 Pond Ave. K9 Blitz was given the command to find drugs. K9 Blitz began searching the house and exhibited a noticeable change in his behavior and breathing patterns. K9 Blitz then gave a positive indication to the presence of a narcotic odor in the front bedroom on the second floor on a Quaker Oats container. The container was searched and 16 bricks of heroin with a street value of more than $21,000.00 were recovered. Senior was charged with Aggravated Assault, Robbery, Theft, Resisting Arrest, Firearms Violations, Possession and Possession with the intent to deliver Heroin.