Nine more defendants arrested as part of anti-crime initiative
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Harold Ford (clockwise from top left), 36, Justin White, 23, Carl Anthony Taltoan Jr., 22, and Dequon L. Grove, 24, face charges from “Operation Silent Night.”
The third round of “Operation Silent Night,” an initiative to combat violent crime in Coatesville, has resulted in nine more arrests, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said Thursday.
Hogan said criminal complaints have been filed for the following new defendants: Carl Anthony Toalton, 22, Daniel Cheung, 30, Justin White, 23, Darryl Naylor, 52, Nakia Clark, 38, Harold Ford III, 36, and Dequon L. Grove, 24, all of Coatesville; and Toye Aaron Jackson, 36, and Adam Wayne Jackson, 24, both of Modena.
These defendants have been charged with drug dealing, primarily cocaine and heroin, said Hogan. Ford, who is on federal supervised release from a prior federal conviction, and Adam Jackson are fugitives, Hogan said.
Toye A. Jackson (clockwise from top left), 36, Nakia Clark, 38, Daniel Cheung, 30, and Darryl Naylor, 52, are included in the latest round of Operation Silent Night arrests.
“A year ago, we unleashed Operation Silent Night in Coatesville. Working together, Chester County law enforcement took criminals off the street, developed hard intelligence on criminal organizations, and helped reduce violent crime in Coatesville,” Hogan said. “Operation Silent Night has been a success not just in solving crimes, but in preventing crimes.”
Coatesville Police Chief Jack Laufer said he appreciated the fact that Hogan stepped in when the understaffed police department lacked a permanent police chief and violent crime was increasing in 2012. Laufer said Hogan’s “dedication of investigative resources from the Chester County Detectives and related task forces, along with the initiation of ‘Operation Silent Night,’ has resulted in significant progress fighting violent crime within the City of Coatesville.”
Operation Silent Night, which targeted high risk offenders, resulted in the arrest of over 30 defendants in the past year, Hogan said. Defendants were arrested for crimes such as drug dealing, firearms offenses, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and other crimes. .
Police are seeking Adam W. Jackson, 24, of Modena, who is a fugitive on multiple drug charges.
Hogan said the operation was spear-headed by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office Drug Unit and Chester County Detectives, working with the Coatesville Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, and officers from the Chester County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Strike Force (“HIDTA”) and the Chester County Municipal Drug Task Force (the “MDTF”).
MDTF officers from the following police departments participated in the operation: West Goshen, Downingtown, West Chester, West Whiteland, Kennett Square, Tredyffrin, North Coventry, and Westtown-East Goshen Regional. The Chester County Fugitive Task Force and the Western Chester County Emergency Response Team also assisted in specialized operations, Hogan said.
“Operation Silent Night is a sophisticated operation and a model for combating a spike in violent crime, but there is no substitute for a strong police chief and aggressive patrol officers,” said Hogan. “Chief Laufer and the Coatesville police officers deserve the lion’s share of the praise for doing excellent work every day on the streets of Coatesville.”
Coatesville’s finest! Lock these Brothers up and throw away the key?