MONTICELLO – Two of the suspects arrested in the September 26 multi-state drug conspiracy investigation and takedown were apprehended by he Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.
The operation, that included execution of 17 search warrants in Orange County, New York, Pike County Pennsylvania, and Sussex County, New Jersey, originated with the district attorney in Orange County.
Three of the search warrants were in Sullivan County.
While executing one at 87 Mohican Trail in Glen Spey, sheriff’s deputies arrested Ronald Lybolt, 30, of Glen Spey, NY and Tara Taylor, 34, of Grahamsville, NY.
The two suspects had been alerted that the residence at 87 Mohican Trail was being burglarized, when in fact it was being raided by police with a search warrant.
A surveillance team stopped the two suspects as they headed to the residence and found them to be in possession of a sawed off .12 gauge shotgun and a .45 caliber pistol.
The investigation revealed that the suspects intended to intervene in what they thought was a “rip-off.”
Both suspects were charged with criminal possession of a weapon and issued appearance tickets for a future court date in the Town of Lumberland.
Sheriff Mike Schiff said that this case illustrates why drug investigations can be dangerous. “When you have drugs and money, you usually have illegal weapons involved and people willing to use them. The two suspects who were arrested were not part of the original group that was being targeted in this case.”
The sheriff commended all of the law enforcement officers who took part in the operation. “Everyone showed extreme professionalism, without any injuries to law enforcement or any of the suspects,” he said.
