Four charged in scheme to fire drug-filled arrow into Fayette jail
A failed attempt to smuggle drugs into the Fayette County jail with a crossbow arrow has led to Uniontown police filing criminal charges Monday against four individuals.
Staff at the jail discovered the arrow June 6 near the southeast wall of the facility. According to the criminal complaint, police cut the arrow open with bolt cutters and found the tips of rubber gloves that had been tied off inside the shaft.
Charging documents state the gloves contained cocaine.
Alfonso Pugh and Charles Smith, who were incarcerated in the jail during the planning of the smuggling scheme, face felony charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, criminal use of a communication facility and possession of contraband.
Uniontown police also charged Amanda Joyce Frey, 38, of Smithfield, and Seth Michael Stepich, 37, of Carmichaels. Stepich faces an additional misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment for firing the crossbow towards the jail.
Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele said Tuesday that the crossbow was fired from a building across Route 21. Stepich was allegedly aiming for a window, but the arrow hit the wall and fell to the ground.
Aubele described the window as solid and containing a titanium mesh.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard for me to believe the arrow would have gone through anyway,鈥� Aubele said.
According to the complaint, there were multiple video calls between Smith and Frey in late May and early June.
Smith, 41, of Smithfield, allegedly provided Frey with instructions on how to pack the drugs and where to fire the crossbow.
Investigators found that on a call the evening of June 2, Frey is seen cutting a rubber glove and stuffing it into an arrow shaft. Pugh, 38, of Connellsville, was also on the call. According to the complaint, Stepich was in the backseat of Frey鈥檚 vehicle.
Smith allegedly said to Frey, 鈥淲hen you coming?鈥� and 鈥淒o what I told you to do.鈥�
Pugh told Frey 鈥淢ake sure that (expletive) gets taken care of,鈥� according to the complaint.
In two more calls shortly after 7 p.m. that same day, Frey and Stepich are seen with a scoped crossbow. During those calls Smith allegedly told Frey that only he and Pugh knew about the plan.
Charging documents state that at about 8 p.m. June 2, security footage captured the arrow hitting the jail and falling to the ground.
On June 5 and June 6, there were several missed and declined calls between Frey and Pugh.
Aubele said that the bizarre attempt to smuggle drugs into the jail is evidence that the county鈥檚 efforts to combat contraband have been effective.
鈥淭he more difficult it becomes, the more you鈥檙e going to see things like this occur,鈥� he said.
Frey was arraigned Monday afternoon before District Judge Jason Cox, who sent her to the Fayette County jail on $100,000 bond. There is an active warrant for Stepich鈥檚 arrest.
Cox also set bond for Pugh and Smith at $100,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. June 24.
Pugh is currently awaiting trial on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and robbery. He is one of three men accused of entering the home of Theo Johnson in Menallen Township on April 22, 2024 and shooting Johnson four times.