A man who apparently admitted to police to smoking marijuana before driving says he was surprised when officers found a considerable amount of the substance in his vehicle. The 25-year-old man from out of state was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police just before midnight on Sept. 21 and now faces several drug charges. He was remanded to a local jail in lieu of $15,000 bail and was scheduled to make his first hearing appearance on Oct. 2.
According to police records, they pulled the man over on Interstate 79 West for going 83 mph in a 65 mph zone. State troopers say they could smell what they believed to be marijuana in the vehicle when the man was pulled over, whereupon the man admitted he and his passenger had smoked marijuana while passing through another state on their way to Pennsylvania. However, he apparently also insisted there were no more drugs in the car.
Police conducted a roadside sobriety test, which they say the man failed. They claim he was also wearing headphones and was not wearing a seat belt. Police conducted a search of the car and say they found several bags of what they believe to be marijuana in the trunk, totaling some one-half pound of the substance. The man said it was his brother’s car, and that he believed the pot may have belonged to a friend who had gotten out of the vehicle earlier.
The man now faces drug charges that could put him in jail if he is found guilty in a Pennsylvania criminal court. However, his defense representation will likely review the full report of the search and arrest to assess whether due process was observed throughout. If police did not adhere to the letter of the law in conducting their search and arrest, the charges could be reduced, or the case could be thrown out of court altogether.
Source: poconrecord.com, “I-78 speeder surprised at half-pound of pot in trunk, cops say“, Kurt Bresswein, Sept. 23, 2017
