DUBOIS – Three men are facing drug-related charges following an incident in Sandy Township.
According to affidavits of probable cause filed with District Judge Patrick Ford’s office June 22, Dylan Tapper, 18, 375 14th St., Reynoldsville, is charged by Sandy Township police with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, careless driving, reckless driving and three summary traffic charges.
Austin Ryan Servidea, 19, 245 Hadfield Road, Penfield, is charged by Sandy Township Police with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, and Bryce Marvin, 20, 2549 W. Liberty Road, Reynoldsville is charged by Sandy Township police with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The charges stem from an incident Jan. 3.
According to the affidavit, officers on patrol in the area of Gamelands Road in Sandy Township saw a purple vehicle parked along the road with the headlights off. When the officer shined his spotlight on the vehicle, he saw the passenger side of the windshield was broken and the passenger was wearing a black and white hat. The officer also noticed that the driver had a green shirt and no hat. As the officer went to get out of the vehicle, the driver suddenly pulled away.
The officer followed the vehicle and could see the three passengers in the rear of the car moving “vigorously.” The officer saw a bright yellow bag and other bags being shoved from the rear and front of the vehicle into the trunk area.
The officer activated the emergency lights and followed the vehicle for about a quarter-mile, but then the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. The officer saw the driver and front passenger switch seats, with the person in the green shirt moving to the passenger seat and the person with the black and white hat moving to the driver’s seat.
The officer approached the vehicle, noting there were five people inside. The officer asked the driver, later identified as Marvin, and the passenger, later identified as Tapper, to get out of the vehicle. The officer could smell a strong odor of marijuana.
The officer then asked the rear left passenger, later identified as Servidea, to get out. A “pat-down” of Servidea revealed plastic baggies, which had contained a substance that smelled like marijuana. The officer also searched two juveniles who were in the back of the vehicle.
The officer told Marvin that he could smell marijuana coming from the vehicle. Marvin allegedly said the vehicle belonged to his father. The officer explained that with the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle, and the driver’s failure to stop for the patrol vehicle, he could apply for a search warrant, which would take about three hours to process, or Marvin could give the officer permission to search the vehicle. Marvin allegedly told the officer to get the warrant.
The officer then spoke to Marvin’s father on the phone and explained what was happening. The officer told Marvin’s father that he was in the process of getting a warrant and the father gave the officer permission to search the vehicle.
The officer lifted the back seat toward the trunk and found a bright yellow bag that contained two Mason jars full of marijuana; a black and red bag containing a gallon-sized zip-lock bag containing marijuana, a grinder, a glass smoking pipe, a third Mason jar that only had a small “bud” of marijuana inside; a digital scale and an orange bottle cap with a pipe inside for smoking.
The officer attempted to interview Marvin, who said he wanted a lawyer. The officer then spoke to Tapper, who allegedly denied being the driver of the vehicle. Upon further questioning, Tapper also asked for a lawyer.
The officer then spoke to Servidea and asked why Tapper was denying driving the car and Servidea said he didn’t know. Servidea also allegedly told police that he didn’t know about the marijuana in the vehicle.