Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

A Youngstown man was charged with selling heroin and crack cocaine near a school, law enforcement officials said

Anthony A. Scrutchen, Jr., 31, distributed heroin within 1,000 feet of the Youngstown Academy of Excellence, a public elementary school, on at least eight occasions between October 2016 and January 2017, according to the 10-count criminal information.

Scrutchen possessed with the intent to distribute crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of the Youngstown Academy of Excellence in January 2017, according to the information.

Scrutchen is also charged with maintained a location at 173South Jackson Street in Youngstown for the purpose of distributing narcotics, according to the information.

“Selling drugs responsible for killing thousands of our friends and relatives so close to a school is particularly reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman. “Law enforcement will continue to work shut off the flow of opioids into our neighborhoods.”

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The investigation preceding the information was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mahoning Valley Task Force and the Youngstown Police Department.  The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason M. Katz.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.