Grandmother Helps Cops at Pot Party

Bethlehem police interrupted a Saturday night pot party in the northeastern part of the city thanks, in part, to the cooperation of the grandmother of a man arrested there, according to court records.

The grandson, David Anthony Dzienis, 27, also cooperated, admitting to police he recently purchased two ounces of marijuana with the intention of selling them to make a profit.

At the scene, police found bags of marijuana marked with the Batman symbol. 

Officer Gregory Huff of the special operations street crime unit said in a criminal complaint that he responded to a call for a party involving alcohol and minors. But what he encountered at 1878 Levering Place was the smell of marijuana coming through a basement-level window.

The homeowner – the grandmother – let police in and said her grandson was in the basement with a few other people. She led officers to the basement and opened the door, the complaint said.

Police encountered about 10 people and a room filled with marijuana smoke. Huff saw broken cigar wrappers and green leafy vegetable matter on a coffee table.

The grandmother consented to a search of the basement. Huff found 60 small resealable bags marked with Batman symbols. He also found two clear plastic sandwich bags. All of the bags contained matter that later tested positive for marijuana. Also found were “several hundred more” resealable bags marked with Batman symbols – bags to be used “for packaging marijuana.”

Dzienis was charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana and possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia. He was arraigned early Sunday by on-duty District Judge Diane Marakovits of Northampton and committed to Northampton County Prison after failing to post $5,000 bail.

The above arrest information was supplied by District Judge Diane Marakovits' office. It does not indicate a conviction.