Police: Shooting Meth and Hit and Run

Shooting Meth in a Parking Lot

Two Beaver Falls men were arrested for meth use for an incident on May 10. According to the criminal complaint, at around 2:30 a.m. an officer observed a vehicle pulled to the side of a parking lot near Duncan Avenue. The officer observed the two men attempt to hide items. The men were identified as Erick Daniel Koah, 30, and Clinton P Klinesmith, 27, and they admitted to using meth. Officers searched the vehicle and seized $50 in cash, nine white Acetaminophen/Hydrocodone pills, 35 green Morphine sulfate pills, a used syringe, and a plastic q-tip case containing a belt, syringe, Alcohol wipes, Q tips, plastic containers and a baggie containing a white crystal substance. There was an active warrant for Klinesmith in Lawrence County and a warrant for Koah in Allegheny County. They were arraigned before Magistrate Jerry Cartwright on May 19. Koah was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Klinesmith was charged with delivery of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Motor Vehicle Accident

According to the criminal complaint, on May 11 at approximately 8:30 p.m., an officer responded to a report of a hit and run. The victim said he was traveling west on Fountain Avenue in a pickup truck with a trailer, along with four passengers, when another pickup began following him at an extremely close distance and honking. The victim pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot, and the defendant struck the rear of his trailer. When the victim attempted to look at the defendant’s registration plate in order to inform police, the defendant back up. The victim had to jump onto the rear of the truck to avoid being backed up. The investigating officer spoke to a witness who corroborated the story. After running a registration plate check, the officer contacted the vehicle’s owner, Shay Linden Cocia, 29, of Ellwood City. Cocia admitted to being involved in the accident, saying he had struck the defendant’s truck because it had abruptly stopped in the parking lot. Cocia said he left the scene because he believed the victim wanted to fight. The officer later watched video footage from McDonald’s that confirmed the victim’s account. Cocia was arraigned before Magistrate Jerry Cartwright on May 18 and charged with recklessly endangering another person, accidents involving vehicle damage, reckless driving and failing to stop and render aid.