Area drug dealer faces federal trial

The New York city man who is accused of bringing $9,000 worth of crack cocaine into the area will probably be prosecuted in federal court, Centre County Assistant District Attorney Anthony DeBoef said yesterday.

William "Wendell" Barclay, 36, was arrested March 19 and charged with three counts of possession with intent to deliver and delivery of crack cocaine. Two additional counts of the same charge were brought against Barclay at his arraignment yesterday at Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte.

The State College Police Department said the crack was distributed on a regular basis over the past several months in the Borough of State College and Ferguson Township. Barclay had been selling crack from his room at The Stevens Motel, 1275 N. Atherton St., at the time of his arrest.

The case was most likely going to be handled in federal court because of the unusually large amount of crack involved, DeBoef said. District Justice Robert Shoff granted DeBoef's request for a two-week continuance so a federal grand jury would be able to review the case and decide if federal charges would be filed.

Barclay's defense attorney, public defender Wayne Bradburn, argued against the continuance on grounds that the names of the confidential informants used in the investigation still had not been disclosed.

If federal charges are pursued, DeBoef said he would drop the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's case and hand Barclay over for prosecution by the Attorney General's Office.

The arrest was the result of a three month joint investigation involving The Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control, the Ferguson Township Police Department and the State College Police Department, State College police said.

Barclay is being held in Centre County Prison in lieu of $125,000 bail.