It was a routine traffic stop along River Road by Gilpin Township Officer David Antal on Wednesday morning, September 27. However, registration information didn’t match PennDOT records.
While processing the information, the Officer could see that the driver, 52-year-old Dennis Kreashko of Evergreen Road, was moving all around the vehicle.
“He refused to sit still. Any other traffic stop, people just sit there and wait for it to come back. He was all throughout the car - very frantic,” Antal said.
Gilpin Township Chief of Police Lee Schumaker described what happened next.
Almost $3,200 in cash was seized by Gilpin Township Police, in addition to drugs, cell phones, and stolen guns.
“During the course of that traffic stop, he discovered the Mr. Kreashko had a large sum of money. Mr. Kreashko is known to this Department from previous arrests in Allegheny Township. Through the course of the investigation, he did discover large amounts of narcotics in the vehicle. From that arrest, a search warrant was issued on his residence. Quite a bit more narcotics along with weapons. Two of those weapons are stolen.”
According to court documents, $3,169 in cash was in Kreashko’s pocket, which he said was “work money.” Police found plastic bags containing marijuana, crystallized methamphetamine, crack cocaine and a pill bottle containing various types of narcotics. In addition, a Powerline .177 caliber hand gun was also confiscated.
Kreashko admitted that he was out of jail on bond for drug possession and delivery following a previous arrest on August 23, 2017.
Armstrong County District Attorney Scott Andreassi approved a search warrant of Kreashko’s residence. Seized from his home were 133 prescription pills, additional amounts of suspected cocaine, methamphetamines, ample supplies of marijuana, and paraphernalia. Officers also seized four handguns, and two long guns - two of which have been confirmed as stolen.
Dennis Kreashko
“Mr. Kreashko’s been charged with a number of felonies, the most serious of which is Possession with Intent to Deliver. He will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In addition, he has been charged as a felon who is not to possess guns. The long guns or hand guns he was not permitted to possess.”
The Gilpin Township Police Department was assisted by Leechburg, Allegheny Township, Apollo, Washington Township Police, the Armstrong County Sheriff’s Department including their K-9, and the Pennsylvania State Police including their VICE Unit and Helicopter, Gilpin Township Fire Department, and Lower Kiski EMS.
Kreashko was arraigned before District Magisterial Judge Gary DeComo and placed in the Armstrong County Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash or property bond.Andreassi said the investigation is active and it is believed additional arrests will be forthcoming as the events unfold.
Gilpin Township Police Chief Lee Schumaker explains the events that led to the arrest of convicted felon Dennis Kreashko during a news conference yesterday afternoon at their municipal building just outside of Leechburg.
Nice haul! But he`ll be back on the street soon.