BY BRYAN PARTIKA

KNOXVILLE, PA – Undercover detectives averted a confrontation with two heroin buyers, one who was armed, during an exchange at 236 Rochelle Street in Knoxville.

Kenneth Ensley was sentenced to six months in prison and Ramone Harrison was sentenced to three to six months after an incident in late August of 2014.

Ensley was found to have a “knotted baggie of marijuana and four bundles of white stamp bags containing heroin,” according to the Probable Cause Affidavit that was filed by Detective Mercurio.

Detective Lewis and Mercurio received information that an unidentified black male was selling heroin in a borough of Pittsburgh.  The two cops immediately took action to find the man.

On August 31, Mercurio began texting the heroin supplier.  The supplier responded with “I’m good,” indicating that there was, indeed, heroin for sale.

Detective Ladner and Mercurio next posed as heroin users, undercover.  There were also five other detectives on standby in case of an emergency situation.

As Lewis and Mercurio brought their car around to Rochelle Street, they observed more than one seller at the scene.

“Lewis observed (Maurice) Wallace deliver heroin to two separate persons at 228 Rochelle Street,” according to Mercurio.

Detective Ladner also was undercover posing as a heroin user.

“I received a call from the same male I had been conversing with throughout the event who directed us to drive onto the 200 block of Dove Way to meet him,” Detective Ladner said, according to the affidavit.

Wallace immediately approached the passenger door of Ladner’s vehicle and gave Ladner 13 white bags containing heroin.  Ladner then handed Wallace $100 and drove away from the area.

According to detective Lewis, two other transactions of heroin and cash happened as the night went on near the 200 block of Rochelle Street.

“Wallace walked to an unknown white man and delivered heroin to the unknown white male,” said Lewis in the affidavit.

“We decided to arrest Wallace at the next opportunity,” said Sergeant Lukitsch in the affidavit.

After the two transactions, Wallace made his way to the tail end of Rochelle Street, where he complied and was promptly arrested at the scene.

As Wallace was being detained, Kenneth Ensley and Ramone Harrison were spotted in front of a house on Rochelle Street observing the incident.  Ensley tried to get rid of a white bag that would later be seen to obtain marijuana.

As the detectives closed in on the two men, they ordered them to get to the ground and show their hands.  Ensley complied, but Harrison refused.

According to Detective Mercurio’s affidavit, “Harrison put his hood up over his face and placed his hands inside the waist area of his body.”

This action alarmed the officers, as they assumed he could be armed.

Detective Martin moved in and grabbed Harrison, where he began to comply to the officers’ orders.  Martin patted Harrison down and immediately felt a gun under Harrison’s hood.

Both Ensley, 30, and Harrison, 17, were detained and sentenced a few months later.