Jul 2, 2019 3 min read

Two women are facing child endangerment charges following a warrant sweep that the Greene County Sheriff’s Office conducted on Friday.

Samantha Imogene Sulka, 27, of 248 Big Shannon Run Road, Perry Township, and Susan Marie Garber, 56, of 1119 Big Shannon Run Road, were charged by Greene County Regional police with endangering the welfare of children and possession of drug paraphernalia, after police arrived at Garber’s home just before 6 a.m.

At the request of the sheriff’s office, Greene County Regional officers – along with officers from Greene County probation, state parole, state game commission, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and a California Borough K9 unit – went to the residence that morning to serve a warrant on David Paul Garber.

He was outside working on his vehicle when police arrived that morning, according to the criminal complaint. When he saw them, he jumped in his car and fled toward the woods. When he got the car stuck in mud, he fled into the woods on foot, police said.

Police chased him on foot because the property’s driveway crossed over a creek, but the bridge had a cable chain and lock on it, preventing vehicle access, the complaint said.

After terminating their pursuit, police searched Garber’s car, in which they said they found a hypodermic syringe loaded with brown liquid, other syringes and a digital scale.

Police returned to the mobile home, where Sulka reportedly had been staying with her 4-year-old daughter for more than a month. She told police that Susan Garber allowed them to stay there because “they had no place to go,” the complaint said.

While searching the residence, police said they found a hunting knife within arm’s reach of the 4-year-old. They also reported finding two prescription pill bottles without labels and a box with 43 hypodermic syringes. Sulka told police the property belonged to Susan Garber, who wasn’t home at the time of the search.

The rest of the residence, police said, was in “extremely deplorable condition,” with no electricity or running water.

“It was also observed that there were feces in the bathroom area and insects all throughout the residence,” police said in the complaint.

Police called Children and Youth Services, who interviewed Sulka and gave her a drug test. Sulka allegedly told CYS that she has used marijuana and subutex, but she allegedly tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the criminal complaint. CYS took custody of Sulka’s daughter.

The Greene County sheriff’s warrant sweep Friday resulted in the arrest of 26 people on a total of 58 warrants.