Original Blog Entry: Mother and son forced man to strip after bad drug deal

truesee — Sat, 15 May 2010 02:20:59 GMT

New Kensington man, mom charged in drug deal gone awry

Chuck Biedka

VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A 20-year-old New Kensington man and his 41-year-old mother are facing drug and other charges after he allegedly forced a Jeannette man to strip to his boxers at gunpoint after a botched drug sale, police said.

Nathaniel Lindgren and Jean Pinko, both of the 300 block of Fourth Avenue, were each released on $25,000 unsecured bond by Westmoreland County Night Court Magistrate James Mahady pending a preliminary hearing.

New Kensington police said the incident started about 8:30 p.m. Friday when two Jeannette men arrived to buy drugs. One of the men went to the house to get heroin while the other man waited in a car in Cherry Alley, police said.

When the man arrived at the porch, Lindgren told him the cost was $90 for a bundle of 10 single-dose packets of heroin, or $10 a bag.

He was given a bundle, but was told to leave his cellular phone as collateral until he could get the money from the man waiting in the car.

The man on the porch, who is not being named because he hasn't been charged, agreed.

But as he was walking to the car, he saw New Kensington police arresting the man in the car, identified as Glenn Speece, 28, for not reporting to court on a receiving stolen property charge.

The unidentified Jeannette man also saw his ride home being towed away.

So, according to police, he threw the heroin into high weeds along Cherry Alley and went back to the Lindgren residence to get his phone.

He told Lindgren that he didn't have the heroin or the money, but he still wanted his cell phone back because it wasn't his fault, Detective Sgt. Dennis Marsili said.

The man allegedly told Lindgren where he threw the heroin, and he joined Lindgren and Pinko in a search for the drug. They couldn't find it.

Lindgren thought he was lying to him, Marsili said.

That's when Lindgren pointed a .22-caliber pistol at the man, forced him inside the house and made him strip, police said.

Lindgren and his mother both searched the man's clothes to no avail, police allege.

The man eventually was allowed to leave.

Police said Lindgren previously was convicted of aggravated assault and wasn't allowed to own a pistol even if he had been of legal age. He was charged with illegal gun possession and having a prohibited offensive weapon, as well as drug possession, having drug paraphernalia including a digital scale, heroin and cooker spoons conspiracy, unlawful restraint, simple assault and reckless endangerment.

Pinko is charged with drug and drug paraphernalia possession, conspiracy and unlawful restraint.

A preliminary hearing will be scheduled in New Kensington.

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