Boardman man arrested on drug charges

YOUNGSTOWN — A Boardman man was arrested on drug charges during a traffic stop on the North Side. Joel A. Gonzalez, 27, of Brookfield Avenue was arraigned Wednesday in municipal court on charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug abuse instruments and drug paraphernalia. He will be back in court Feb. 5. Members of the Street Crimes Unit who had been watching a house on Dennick Avenue because of drug activity complaints followed a pickup truck that had been at the house around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The truck’s rear license plate was not illuminated and the driver was traveling above the speed limit despite icy roads, police said. The truck was pulled over on Logan Avenue. Gonzalez, the passenger in the truck, also had a traffic warrant that had been issued in Campbell. Police found suspected heroin, two syringes and spoon with drug residue tucked into his underwear, reports show. The pickup driver was issued a citation for the license plate light and given a warning about the speed violation.