PITTSBURGH \u2014 A man was sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking and firearm offenses in the Pittsburgh area.<\/p>\n
On Monday, U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV sentenced Darion Ethridge, 26, of Pittsburgh, to 90 months of incarceration following his convictions for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.<\/p>\n
The charges stem from a June 24, 2021, drug suppression operation in Monroeville, when state police and local law enforcement officers set up a detail after receiving information that a man driving a black Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows would be delivering 10 bricks of heroin to a local hotel.<\/p>\n
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Pittsburgh man pleads guilty after 991 bags of fentanyl, heroin mixture found in vehicle<\/a><\/p>\n When law enforcement officers located the vehicle in a hotel parking lot, a detective parked behind the Jeep with emergency lights and sirens activated and instructed the driver to exit. <\/p>\n Police say Ethridge responded by starting his vehicle, reversing the Jeep into the detective\u2019s vehicle and driving through the parking lot until officers boxed in the car. He then ran away on foot before officers pursued and arrested him. <\/p>\n A search following the arrest resulted in the seizure of $3,952 from Ethridge. <\/p>\n Inside the vehicle, law enforcement found 991 bags of a fentanyl and heroin mixture, along with a loaded stolen handgun. <\/p>\n Ethridge was previously convicted of four felonies, meaning it is illegal for him to possess a gun. <\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n