EBENSBURG - A Northern Cambria couple arrested Monday on felony drug charges used their three children to hand-deliver the narcotics to prospective buyers, the Cambria County District Attorney's Office said.
Officers from the Cambria County Drug Task Force arrested Stacey Wholaver, 30, and Lawrence Wholaver, 46, for illegally distributing prescription Lortab pills in the Northern Cambria area using Stacey Wholaver's three children to deliver the pills.
During one controlled buy, officers observed two children, ages 12 and 6, leave the Wholavers' residence and deliver the drugs to a police informant in exchange for money.
"I feel strongly that these children are victims to the adults who allegedly used them to carry out their crimes, so I want to protect their identities," District Attorney Kelly Callihan said
Tuesday.
Officials from the state Attorney General's Office, Cambria County Children and Youth Services, and the Northern Cambria Police Department assisted in the investigation, Callihan said.
The couple are charged with endangering the welfare of children and multiple drug-related charges, including conspiracy to deliver and possession of a controlled substance.
Stacey and Lawrence Wholaver were arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Frederick Creany and jailed in Cambria County Prison each on $50,000 bail.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Nov. 28.
Mirror Staff Writer Zach Geiger is at 946-7535.
