Altoona trio found with 250 heroin packets during traffic stop, police report

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — Three Altoona residents were arrested over the weekend for allegedly having heroin — one of which tried to dispose of cocaine in the station’s bathroom, police said.

Brittany Hallett, 34, was charged along with Kendall Geist, 33, and Christopher Alley, 29, after a traffic stop Friday night, July 19, around 9:20 p.m. along 26th Street and Beale Avenue.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the three were in a GMC Terrain with tinted windows that prevented officers from seeing inside, leading to a traffic stop. Altoona Police noted that Geist was driving, Hallett was in the passenger seat and Alley was in the backseat. They said Alley kept nodding off and jumped back into the seat when police asked if he was ok.

Police asked Alley to exit the SUV. While speaking with him, they asked if he would empty his pockets. Alley agreed and allegedly had a wad of cash along with a rolled-up dollar bill and another folded up, the criminal complaint reads. Alley allegedly admitted to using the rolled-up dollar bill to do cocaine earlier that day.

After all three exited the SUV, K9 Blue was brought out to sniff around the vehicle, charges show. Blue allegedly signaled at the driver’s side door. Police noted that Hallett agreed to let police search the SUV, but then retracted while they read her the consent form.

The trio was taken to the Altoona police station where search warrants were requested and approved. According to the complaint, Hallett asked to use the bathroom and when she was told they would have to strip search her first, she decided not to use it. Police said she was later searched and a baggie of cocaine was found between her toes. She allegedly admitted to trying to destroy it before it was found.

Police said while searching the SUV, they found a black bag sitting on top of Hallett’s work hoodie that contained five bricks — 250 packets — of heroin. Under the hoodie was a makeup mirror with white residue on it. In the center console, a prison medicine envelope was found with four capsules of an unknown substance in it along with another makeup mirror with residue on it.

The three were arraigned on multiple drug charges and bail was set at $200,000 for Geist and Alley while Hallett’s was set at $100,000.

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Hallett posted bail through a professional bondsman before being processed at Blair County Prison.

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