THE NAMES REVEALED

THE NAMES REVEALED

December 7, 2007

Washington- The Weekly Recorder has uncovered the entire list of the JailHouse 13 that the FBI has requested records pertaining to. Why the FBI has chosen this list of 13 people is not known at this time, but speculation is only likely to run rampant in the wake of the entire list being made public.

Tiffany Ryan- Well known prostitute and drug user. Currently housed in Muncy, Pa. Alleged to be the consort of District Attorney John Pettit. Ryan has actually fallen asleep before Magistrate Spence according to the Observer-Reporter. Ryan was close to Sgt. David Bradley of the Washington City Police. Bradley has met with and talked to the FBI during their investigation of District Attorney John Pettit.

Holli Zaricky-Another well known criminal. Best known as the girlfriend of Dirk Barfield at the time of the Brilla homicide. Zaricky was present on a regular basis during the homicide trial of Gerald Gregg, who was eventually acquitted, of the double homicide of Fred Brilla and Martin Brahler.

Tony Cohen- Cohen was a suspect in the double homicide of Fred Brilla and Martin Brahler. He eventually accepted a deal with District Attorney Pettit in exchange for testifying against Gerald Gregg. Pettit’s case was predicated on the idea that Cohen was “muscle” for Gregg to assist in the murder of Brilla. Cohen has a long history of drug use and violent crime.

Dirk Barfield Sr.-Barfield was according to his own testimony present at the infamous Price’s Tavern to help Mary Mahoney roll Brilla for money. He claimed that upon seeing Gerald Gregg and Tony Cohen being at the bar to execute Brilla and bartender Brahler, he and Mahoney fled the scene. Barfield claims that he spoke to an unidentified male in a truck before entering the bar. The unidentified male allegedly told Barfield that “everyone is inside, they will blame on it on Pettit”. Barfield agreed to be a witness for Pettit in the case against Gregg. Barfield was later arrested by the US Attorney’s office for possessing a firearm in violation of his probation. Sources confirmed that Sgt. David Bradley was on the individuals that helped provide the information for the arrest of Barfield by the federal government.

Lonnie Barnes- Barnes, a small time criminal, was convicted of the homicide of well-known Washington businessman Robert Hannen along with Tiger Yarbor. But most people within the community did not believe that Barnes was a likely killer. After years of investigation, it was eventually shown that the witnesses that District Attorney John Pettit and former State police officer Larry Maggi, now County Commissioner, was flawed beyond belief. Witnesses had testified about events and happenings that were clearly not possible to have happened. For example, one witness claimed to have been present that night, but he was actually in state prison. Another group of witnesses claimed that they saw Barnes and Yarbor at a bar that was no longer in operation. The result was a case that shocked even the most jilted observer of the Washington County courthouse. Barnes eventually agreed to confess to a crime that he likely did not commit in exchange for leaving jail almost immediately.

Tiger Yarbor-Another small time criminal that was convicted under the same circumstances as Barnes. Yarbor also agreed to confess to a crime that he likely did not commit in exchange for leaving jail almost immediately.

Alex Martos- Convicted murderer of Ira Swearingen, Martos has filed a federal lawsuit against Washington County and District Attorney John Pettit. Martos claims that he was forced to testify against Gerald Gregg and was a willing participant at first against Gregg. Martos claims that he quit being an informant for Pettit because of his fears about who might be behind the murders.

The New Guys

This is a group of individuals that we have little information regarding. They have arrest records, but in some case no convictions according to the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial website.
Antonio Wright-Had charges of attempted homicide dropped in 2005. No apparent convictions.

Paula Ruth Wise-also known as Paula Ruth Cohen has a history of arrests including prostitution.

Eugene Davis-Well known local criminal in Washington according to one law enforcement source.

Aaron L.Williams Jr.-Another well known individual with a long history of arrests

Melissa Rosscell-Female prisoner currently housed in Muncy, Pa. with Tiffany Ryan. Has history of arrests dealing with bad check writing and identity theft.

But the questions remain, why these 13 people? What do they have in common, other than having dealt with District John Pettit?

Many of these individuals, but not all, had charges dropped against them at times. Some are females with ties to Pettit, but again not all. What is the common bond? If you have ideas, call us at 724-514-7239.