Woman arrested, accused of selling pounds of meth in Centre County and elsewhere
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- Joanne L. Shaw was charged with 15 felonies tied to a regional meth ring.
- Investigators linked mobile payment apps to the drug distribution scheme.
- Authorities cited a multiyear probe; bail was denied ahead of July 30 hearing.
A woman arrested Tuesday was accused of selling dozens of pounds of methamphetamine throughout central Pennsylvania, including Centre County, as part of what investigators described as a sophisticated criminal enterprise.
Joanne L. Shaw, 37, of Huntingdon County, was charged with 15 felonies, including counts of corrupt organizations, possession with intent to deliver and dealing in proceeds of an unlawful act.
Shaw conspired with at least one other person to distribute the drug between January 2024 and September 2024 in Centre, Blair and Huntingdon counties, Spring Township police wrote in a criminal complaint. Nobody else has been charged as of Wednesday.
Investigators alleged she used multiple peer-to-peer or mobile payment apps such as Cash App to complete the transactions. In a Facebook post Tuesday, township police said the charges stemmed from a yearslong investigation into the organization.
A grand jury presentment containing additional details is not publicly available, District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker’s office told the Centre Daily Times.
The judge denied bail for Shaw, who had been free since she posted $250,000 bail through a bondsman after being charged with drug crimes in Huntingdon County. She is incarcerated at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
No defense lawyer was listed for Shaw in the Centre County case. A message left with defense lawyer Steve Trialonas, who represents her in Huntingdon County, was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 30.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 10:07 AM.