SHARON

A charge of criminal conspiracy to deliver marijuana against a second Sharon man accused of selling drugs out of a Sharon home was held to Mercer County Common Pleas Court Thursday after a confidential informant for the Mercer County Drug Task Force testified Schang was involved with the sale of marijuana.

Jason McNally Schang, 20, of 322 Elm Ave., appeared Thursday before District Justice James E. McMahon, Sharon.

The charge against Schang was based on a phone conversation Schang had with the informant.

The informant gave the following testimony:

On Oct. 27, 2001, he made a call to Schang at 261 Washington St., Sharon, about buying an ounce of marijuana. Schang said he would sell him an ounce for $160 but the informant had to be there by 7 p.m. because Schang was leaving for Pittsburgh.

The informant then contacted drug task force agents who went through the routine process of checking the informant to ensure he had no illegal possessions, weapons or money on him or in his car.

The informant also made a second phone call to see if he could still get the drugs.

The informant then went to 261 Washington but Schang was already gone though it was before 7 p.m. Two of Schang's friends were there, including "Jimmy" who was later identified as James W. Kendzor, 20, of 649 Stambaugh Ave., Sharon.

The informant gave Kendzor $160 in state money in exchange for the marijuana, and the informant left the house.

He never saw Schang on Oct. 27.

The informant testified that he knew Schang both socially and from buying marijuana from Schang before he began working with the drug task force. He also purchased marijuana from Schang before Oct. 27 at the request of drug task force agents.

Ronald Amrhein Jr., Sharon, Schang's court-appointed attorney, asked the informant if he had been arrested on drug charges prior to his work with the police, and if the police promised to help him in return for information.

The informant said he was arrested on drug charges. He said the police told him they may be able to work out a deal but not to get his hopes up.

"With all do respect, there's no way there's charges here," Amrhein told McMahon. He argued that because Schang never saw the informant and never told the informant to buy the marijuana from Kendzor in his absence, there's nothing to link Schang to the deal.

"There is not one shred of evidence here," he said.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Kochems argued that during a second phone call by the informant to 261 Washington prior to the deal, the informant was never told not to show up. Kochems also said the amount of marijuana and the price was set by Schang on the phone, and the informant paid the set price for the marijuana.

Schang also has charges of possession and delivery of marijuana pending against him in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.

Kendzor's preliminary hearing was Tuesday, and he waived charges of delivery of a controlled substance, conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance without any testimony. The charges stemmed from the Oct. 27 incident.

Schang was released on $20,000 unsecured bond.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharonherald.com