Men Face Charges after Alleged 'Bath Salts'-Induced Gunplay

Three young men have been charged as a result of an incident in which  of a South Bethlehem home on Saturday afternoon, Bethlehem police said yesterday.

The alleged shooter, Ryan B. Shoemaker, 25, of 205 Van Buren St., had apparently twice injected himself with or mephedrone, a powerful, but currently legal, stimulant, before shooting the gun, police said.

Roommates told police that Shoemaker had told them he saw people on the roof of the home. Shoemaker told police that people were “watching” him and his girlfriend.

Also yesterday, both , a Republican who represents most of the Lehigh Valley, and , a Democrat who represents Bethlehem and parts of Lehigh and Northampton counties, both touted legislation to ban the substance.

Dent has authored a bill that, if passed, would define so-called “bath salts”--sometimes also known as “plant food”--as a Schedule One controlled substance.

“Until recently, stories of individuals abusing these substances were very rare,” Dent said through a news release issued by his office.

“Now, Pennsylvanians are frequently reading disturbing accounts involving the behavior of synthetic drug users. It is time for Congress to ban these destructive substances and put an end to their legal sale in our communities,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Boscola praised fellow senators for unanimously passing a bill that would do exactly the same thing as Dent’s bill, but at the state level.

In Pennsylvania, possession or sale of Schedule One controlled substances carries a maximum 15-year jail sentence and $250,000-fine. The bill, which now goes to the state House, would attach the same definitions to salvia divinorum, a hallucinogen, and synthetic marijuana.

“People can pay as little as $10 for these drugs in a gas station or on-line,” Boscola said in a news release. “These cheap synthetic drugs lead to dangerous, violent and deadly incidents. I will urge my House colleagues to act quickly on the bill.”

Police responded to the home at a little before 4:30pm Saturday after reports of gunshots in the 200 block of E. Fifth Street. After responding, police were directed to the Van Buren Street home, which is shared by student and non-student tenants, police said.

A search of the home revealed a handgun, unidentified prescription pills, drug paraphernalia and hypodermic needles, police said.

When police arrived, Shoemaker had an injury to his hand and blood on his shorts. He required treatment at  in Fountain Hill.

Shoemaker was charged with recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance--Restoril, a powerful hypnotic drug sometimes prescribed for insomnia.

Two of Shoemaker’s roommates were also charged as a result of the police search of the home.

Andrew B. DeAlmagro, 22, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of three different controlled substances--Restoril; Zolpidem, another drug used for insomnia; and Adderall, a drug prescribed for people with Attention Deficit Disorder and sometimes abused by students to help them study longer.

Alexander Demidovsky, 23, was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of Restoril.