2 charged with drug offenses in Yukon after several months of neighborhood disruption

The constant traffic that disrupted a Yukon neighborhood for months is now gone, a day after state police arrested two men and confiscated seven marijuana plants they said were growing in an empty swimming pool.

Two neighbors, declined to provide their names to a reporter because of safety concerns, said their sleep wasn’t disrupted as normal the night after Monday’s drug bust.

Acting on a tip, troopers descended on the Yukon Avenue home around 11 a.m. Monday, with a state police helicopter watching from above, and found the plants standing 6 to 9 feet high in the above-ground swimming pool, according to court papers.

They arrested two men — Harold Louis Shields IV, 40, of Pittsburgh, and Kirk Allen Truman, 56, of Yukon — and charged them with drug offenses and theft of services. Shields faces an additional weapons violation.

The home and swimming pool is hidden by trees and brush, but can be seen from Homer Street. Police said they met Shields and Truman at the house. Truman permitted police to search it and referred to the marijuana plants, saying “this is all going to be legal soon,” according to court papers.

In addition to the plants, troopers confiscated cocaine, a white powder, a shotgun, marijuana and other items, including calendars and ledger books that related to a marijuana grow operation and sales, police said.

Troopers also found that electrical wires had been spliced to provide power to the house, according to court papers. The electricity previously had been shut off.

The arrests were a relief to neighbors, who said traffic to and from the house was constant at all hours of the day, with 3 to 6 a.m. typically being the worst. There would be partying, screaming, and revving of vehicle engines, disrupting the peaceful, small community in South Huntingdon off Interstate 70.

Both suspects were being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. Shields’ bail was set at $200,000 and Truman was being held on $100,000 bail. Neither had attorneys listed in online court records. Preliminary hearings are set for Sept. 6.

Shields was on state parole in connection with two separate cases in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties stemming from drug and weapons arrests.

He was released from state prison in February, according to state records.