1,000 bags of alleged heroin seized
A Butler woman is behind bars on six-figure bond stemming from a Thursday traffic stop that led to city police seizing more than 1,000 stamp bags of suspected heroin along with suspected crack cocaine and powder cocaine.
Dana L. Vanatta, 34, of Butler, is facing multiple drug felonies. She is in the Butler County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bond.
Patrolman Ryan Doctor, who also is an officer with the Butler County Drug Task Force, initially spotted Vanatta driving a car about 1:30 p.m. at Broad and West Jefferson streets, police said.
Vanattaallegedly committed a traffic violation, and the officer followed the car to the Shell gas station on West Jefferson Street.
Vanatta went into the store, police said. She returned to the car with a man, who got into the driver's seat. Vanatta was in the passenger seat.
The vehicle eventually crossed South Main Street and turned onto an alleyway off of East Wayne Street, where Doctor made a traffic stop. Police said Vanatta was acting nervously.
An initial consent search of the car turned up suspected contraband. Police later had the car towed to the city fire station.
Read more in Monday's Butler Eagle
