Hellertown Police said in a news release Tuesday that a June 2 traffic stop on Main Street in the borough resulted in the arrest of two individuals who were wanted by other law enforcement agencies on bench warrants stemming from different charges.
Police said a southbound vehicle operated by Jerussa Juanita Tenezaca, 29, of the 1300 block of N. 14th Street, Whitehall, was stopped in the 1300 block of Main Street shortly after 7 p.m. after it was discovered that Tenezaca was wanted in Northampton County.
According to online court records, in December Tenezaca pleaded guilty to a first-degree misdemeanor count of retail theft in a Lower Nazareth Township case, and as part of a negotiated plea deal was subsequently sentenced by Judge Leonard Zito to a maximum of 24 months of probation and ordered to pay court costs.
On May 2, 2019, records indicate that following a probation violation hearing a bench warrant for Tenezaca was issued by the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.
One month later, when Tenezaca was stopped while driving in Hellertown, police say a search allegedly led to the discovery of a small amount of heroin and drug paraphernalia in her vehicle, with Tenezaca then being charged with possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence of a controlled substance.
Police in the news release identified Tenezaca’s passenger as Matthew Frank Deverin, 40, of the 1800 block of Main Street, Northampton, and said he too was charged with possession of a small amount of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Deverin–who has a Bethlehem address according to court records–was remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Institution on outstanding bench warrants, police said.
Online court records show that Deverin pleaded guilty last August to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance, receiving a sentence of 12 to 24 months’ probation as a result of the plea. The records do not appear to indicate when or why a bench warrant was later issued, but show he was returned to custody on June 3 to serve a minimum of one day and a maximum of 12 months in jail. With special conditions in place, Deverin could receive “presumptive parole after serving one day (of) misconduct-free behavior, (and) providing (a) verifiable and acceptable address,” a court note states.