Inmate charged when magnet found in sock

Ed Lewis, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Updated ·1 min read

Jun. 12—WILKES-BARRE — An inmate at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility awaiting a sentencing hearing on drug trafficking and firearm offenses was arraigned Wednesday on allegations he concealed a magnet in a sock.

Roberto Carlos Herrera, 28, of Hazleton, was found hiding a magnet in a sock during a shakedown of cells by corrections officers on June 4, according to court records filed by Luzerne County detectives.

Herrera was housed on 3-D Block that was searched by corrections officers. During a pat-down search, corrections officers found a magnet concealed in a sock, court records say.

Herrera was arraigned by Senior District Judge Martin Kane at Central Court with possession of a weapon by an inmate. He remained jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $20,000 bail.

Court records say Herrera was one of three people arrested by Hazleton City Police Department's Narcotics Unit and Criminal Division, Luzerne County Drug Task Force and the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team in July 2021, during a drug trafficking investigation.

The investigation resulted in the seizure of a large amount of heroin, fentanyl, four handguns and ammunition from a residence on Seybert Street, Hazleton.

Herrera pled guilty to illegal possession of a firearm, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and resisting arrest. He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 29.