POLAND 3 traffic stops end in drug charges

The men have all pleaded innocent.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- Routine traffic stops by village police officers have resulted in several drug arrests.
Ernest Harding, 47, of Third Street, Lowellville, was pulled over by police just after 11 a.m. Sunday on U.S. Route 224 after a routine license check showed he had arrest warrants from Georgia. Police reports say officers, once at the police station, found Valium hidden in a cigarette pack Harding was carrying.
Harding pleaded innocent in Struthers court to misdemeanor drug abuse. He is jailed in lieu of $1,000 bond and due back in court Jan. 3.
Cracked windshield
Saturday afternoon, a car that Alan Harper, 23, of New Castle, was a passenger in was pulled over on Route 224 for having a cracked windshield and no license plate light. Harper was arrested on a warrant out of Struthers.
At the police station, reports say, officers found a small bag of marijuana hidden in Harper's shoe. Deputies at the county jail found more than $3,700 on him. Because of the drug arrest, village police are looking to confiscate the money.
Harper pleaded innocent to the minor misdemeanor drug charge. He is due back in court Sept. 19 for that citation and a 2001 driving under suspension charge. He is in Mahoning County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bond.
Marijuana burning
Phillip Knepp, 22, of Beaver Falls, Pa., pleaded innocent Dec. 6 to misdemeanor drug paraphernalia and minor misdemeanor drug charges. He is out of jail on his own recognizance and due back in court Sept. 3.
Police reports say Knepp was stopped for speeding at 10:04 p.m. Dec. 3 on state Route 616. Officers found a small amount of marijuana in his pocket and 11 small bags with marijuana residue, rolling papers, and a marijuana cigarette still burning inside the car.