Police find 3.75 pounds of pot in wrecked car June 20, 2006 - web page
SUNBURY — Today’s lesson: When fleeing an accident, don’t leave marijuana in the car.
Michael Anthony Pastuszek, 21, of Snydertown, was arraigned Monday in front of District Judge Robert Bolton on charges that arose from an October vehicle accident in Point Township.
According to court documents, Point Township Police Chief Curt Brown was called to the scene of a one-vehicle accident along the Old Danville Highway near Diner Road at about 3:45 a.m. Oct. 21. When he got to the scene, he discovered a 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada registered to David and Brenda Pastuszek, upside down in a creek bed.
Paramedics soon arrived on the scene and forced entry into the car. No one was inside, but a gray backpack fell out of the car, Chief Brown said. He opened it to try to find some identification and inside of the backpack, the police chief found a small amount of marijuana, he said.
Chief Brown then left the scene to try to locate Michael Pastuszek, whose parents and girlfriend all told police they did not know where he was. When the police chief arrived back on the scene, he said fire personnel advised him he may want to take a closer look inside of the car.
Inside the car was a plastic garbage bag containing several small bags of marijuana and two other loose sandwich bags also containing marijuana, the police chief said. At that point, police impounded the vehicle at the Point Township Municipal Building and obtained a search warrant. A subsequent search revealed 3.75 pounds of marijuana, marijuana pipes, packaging containers and other items that Mr. Brown said suggested Michael Pastuszek was involved in a growing operation.
Also inside of the vehicle was a copy of a rental agreement for a storage facility in Sunbury. A search warrant was obtained to search the storage unit later that afternoon. Inside it, police found more marijuana, what appeared to be hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana pipes and $300 in cash, the police chief said. Also found inside was a digital camera.
Since cameras are often used by those involved in drug activity to record pictures related in drug dealing, police obtained a search warrant to see what images were on the camera.
Chief Brown said the pictures they revealed a growing operation inside of an unidentified private residence. In all, 55 pictures were drug-related, he said.
When Michael Pastuszek finally was located and brought to the Point Township Police Department by his father, Mr. Brown said he admitted that he had been driving the car and that the marijuana inside of it was his, but maintained he could not remember where he went after the accident.
He denied growing marijuana, and when asked where the marijuana came from, Michael Pastuszek asked to speak with an attorney, the police chief said.
Michael Pastuszek has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of hashish, possession of drug paraphernalia and other traffic-related charges.
A preliminary hearing has been set for June 28.
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