Valley News Dispatch

2 face drug charges after Allegheny Township traffic stop

Kellen Stepler
By Kellen Stepler
3 Min Read June 23, 2023 | 3 years Ago
Go Ad-Free today

A New Kensington man and a Harrison woman are facing drug charges after a traffic stop.

According to court records, Allegheny Township police charged Michael Luffey, 38, of the 1500 block of Leishman Avenue, with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, misbranding a controlled substance, possessing drugs and three counts of providing a false identification to police.

Officers say they were patrolling the area near the State Route 56 bypass at Hyde Park Road on May 5 at 11:10 p.m., when they noticed a 2004 Mitsubishi with its driver’s side headlight out.

The driver of the car, identified in court papers as Kylee Marie Black, 37, of Natrona Heights, was following another car too closely, and police said they initiated a traffic stop on Melwood Road and Spooky Hollow Road.

Luffey, a passenger in the car, told police he did not have ID. When asked what his name was, Luffey responded “Michael Brown,” with a birthday of October 19, 1984, police said.

Police said they ran that information through the Westmoreland County 911 Center, and had Black step out of the car. Police asked Black where she was coming from, and she said she was on her way to do a DoorDash but couldn’t provide an order when asked by police, the complaint said.

Dispatchers stated they had no record of a Michael Brown with an October 19, 1984 birthday, police said. Police told Luffey he was under an official investigation and needed to state his correct name, but Luffey again said he was Michael Brown, police said.

Officers then asked Luffey for the last four digits of his social security number, which he couldn’t provide, police said. Black told police Luffey’s real name, which Luffey himself confirmed.

Police learned that Luffey had multiple warrants from the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, and he was arrested.

Black consented for police to search the vehicle, police said. While searching the vehicle, police said they found a loaded hypodermic needle with methamphetamines in a purse. Police say Black confirmed the needle had meth inside.

In the rear passenger seat, officers say they found a backpack with a container inside that contained a glass pipe with residue, a black straw, a blue grip from a pen with residue inside, a razor blade, and empty baggie with hearts containing residue and a white pill labeled AN355. Also in the backpack was a blue container with eight blue pills, two broken in half, labeled N950, amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, police said.

Black is charged with possessing a controlled substance, possessing drugs and two summary traffic offenses, and faces a August 8 preliminary hearing before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec.

Luffey’s preliminary hearing on his charges also is scheduled for August 8 before Peck Yakopec.

Share

Tags:

About the Writers

Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. He joined the Trib in April 2023. He can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.

Push Notifications

Get news alerts first, right in your browser.

Enable Notifications

Content you may have missed

Enjoy TribLIVE, Uninterrupted.

Support our journalism and get an ad-free experience on all your devices.

  • TribLIVE AdFree Monthly

    • Unlimited ad-free articles
    • Pay just $4.99 for your first month
  • TribLIVE AdFree Annually BEST VALUE

    • Unlimited ad-free articles
    • Billed annually, $49.99 for the first year
    • Save 50% on your first year
Get Ad-Free Access Now View other subscription options