WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A man and woman in Luzerne County were arrested on Tuesday and face charges for allegedly possessing 105 bags of drugs and thousands of dollars in cash.
Officials said police responded to the Wilkes-Barre Township Walmart for the report of retail theft in progress on September 27.
When officers arrived on the scene, investigators said Walmart Loss Prevention workers had Lana Johnson, 23, from Edwardsville, in custody for trying to steal children’s clothing from Walmart with two other individuals. Police say a search of Johnson found a bag labeled ‘stuff’ containing 20 bags of drugs, including suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl, $664 in cash, two cell phones, and several empty plastic bags.
As officers were transporting Johnson to their cruiser, police say two men, later identified as Vance Dawson, 47, from Hazleton, and his Lyft driver stopped and asked what would happen to her. The Walmart Loss Prevention worker then told the officers that Dawson and Johnson were two of three people involved in in a retail theft the day prior, according to court records.
The identity of the third person involved has not been released.
Investigators said Dawson was taken into custody and a search of his person revealed $6,759 in cash.
According to the affidavit, the Lyft driver who drove the pair informed police two of their bags were still in his vehicle.
Police said the driver willingly turned over the bags because he did not want their property in his car.
Law enforcement searched both bags the driver turned over and say they found 26 bags containing suspected methamphetamine, 38 bags of suspected fentanyl, one bag of pressed blue pills stamped m/30, one bag of purple powder, and 21 bags of suspected crack cocaine.
Dawson faces two counts of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver drugs and one count of retail theft. He is being held in Luzerne County Prison on a $50,000 monetary bail.
Johnson faces the same charges as well as endangering the welfare of children as a parent/guardian, corruption of minors, and an additional retail theft charge. She was also remanded to Luzerne County Prison on $25,000 monetary bail.