Guilty plea entered for man charged in Jeannette chase

An eastern Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty Wednesday to fleeing from police following a traffic stop two years ago in Jeannette.

Police said a Jeep driven by Lance W. Frederick, 36, of Chester County, was stopped on Oct. 8, 2023. Police say he consented to a search of the vehicle, during which hidden compartments used to store illegal drugs were found.

According to court records, police said Frederick drove off after he was asked by an officer to pop the vehicle’s hood for further investigation.

Frederick was pursued through Adamsburg, where the vehicle was later found parked, with the driver’s side door open. A subsequent search for Frederick by police dogs, officers and a drone was unsuccessful.

An additional search of the vehicle revealed a loaded handgun, a digital scale and a substance that appeared to be cocaine inside a compartment. The gun was stolen from a Greensburg man, according to court papers.

In that case, Frederick pleaded guilty to felony counts of fleeing from police, escape, evading arrest and illegal possession of a firearm.

Frederick also pleaded guilty to 10 drug-related counts in connection to a separate incident in March 2023 in Jeannette.

In that case, police said they found heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and crack in compartments hidden throughout Frederick’s vehicle.

Frederick — who has been in jail since his arrest in January 2024, will be sentenced in about three months, said Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger.