Greensburg man accused of selling heroin from hospital room

GREENSBURG, Pa. — Greensburg police arrested a man who they said sold heroin from his Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital room, investigators announced over the weekend.

According to a post on the department's Facebook page, Jeffrey Lakin, 37, from Greensburg is facing several charges, including delivery of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

When the hospital staff alerted police to suspicious activity related to Lakin’s hospital room, the investigation led officers to stop a man as he was leaving the hospital.

Investigators said the man, identified as David Dahlmann, was found with 12 empty stamp bags in his back pocket and six more on the front seat of his vehicle that were labeled “Transformers.”

Dahlmann allegedly told police that he bought the heroin from Lakin in his hospital room.

A subsequent search of Lakin’s hospital room revealed a duffel bag that contained stamp bags of heroin, more than $1,000 in cash and other items of drug paraphernalia.

"He was dealing heroin out of the room, and a substantial amount of money was found there, too,” Greensburg Police Capt. Robert D. Stafford said.

Lakin was arrested and taken to the Westmoreland County prison on $11,000 straight cash bail.

A hospital spokesperson said the hospital staff is thankful this ended with an arrest, rather than a deadly overdose.

"I mean always be vigilant and keep your eyes open, and if it's something suspicious, call the police department and let us look into it. It might be nothing. It might turn into something more,” Stafford said.

Police also arrested two women as a result of the bust.

This was not the first time police broke up a heroin operation at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital.

Two people were arrested during a bust in 2014.

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