Drug conviction upheld by state Supreme Court | News

SMETHPORT – The state Supreme Court has upheld the drug conviction and sentence of eight to 16 years in prison for Walter “Ghost” Dennis of Bradford.

Dennis, 48, was found guilty by a jury of meeting with someone to sell her drugs and of bringing drugs in his body into the McKean County Jail, District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said.

The charges were related to a McKean County Drug Task Force investigation into drug trafficking in McKean County. Dennis had arranged a drug delivery with a confidential informant of the drug task force and was taken into custody upon arrival. He was found in possession of controlled substances and empty bags.

The informant alerted officers that Dennis may have been hiding drugs from police at the time of his arrest. Police notified corrections officers at the jail. Dennis was strip searched and forced to shower. After his shower, corrections officers found baggies in the drain containing a substance that later tested positive for fentanyl and tramadol, court records show.

Dennis was sentenced to 8 to 16 years in prison and appealed, arguing that despite the jury's verdict, there was insufficient evidence to prove that the drugs found in the shower were his. He was represented by Kelsey Hanes-Lewis of St. Marys.

Following written arguments by Shaffer and Lewis, the Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and sentence.

The judges stated: “Our review has revealed sufficient evidence of possession, that is, of Dennis's power and intent to control the contraband hidden on his person and later found in the shower.” Therefore, according to the ruling, “Dennis's case requires no further clarification.”