DUBOIS – After a preliminary hearing Friday, felony drug charges were held to court against an Erie man accused of possessing over a pound of methamphetamine and other drugs.
Charles Aaron Best, 36, was charged with five felony counts of manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, one felony count of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, five misdemeanor counts of intentional possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia by DuBois City police after a traffic stop on June 29.
The criminal complaint details how an officer noticed the vehicle going only 15-miles-per-hour in a 35-miles-per-hour zone. When the vehicle pulled into a parking lot, the officer parked behind it.
The driver stated she was on her way to buy beer. Her passenger, later identified as Best, was staring straight ahead and tried to avoid making eye contact with the officer.
She told the officer she did not know her passenger’s name and she was only giving him a ride. She described him as friend of a friend.
When questioned, Best substantiated her claim that she was going to buy beer, but he said he did not know her name.
He reportedly admitted to being on probation and having an active warrant.
He was then detained while the officer confirmed Best had two active warrants from the county sheriff’s department.
When he was asked if he had anything illegal on him, he admitted he had a marijuana roach “shoved in his butt cheeks.”
He was allowed to retrieve the roach, but he pulled out a white rolling paper with no marijuana in it.
His response to whether he had anything illegal in the vehicle was allegedly an admission that there was a battery under the front passenger seat that contained ecstasy.
The driver gave permission to search the car where the officer reportedly found the battery that contained 22 pills.
A further search of the vehicle uncovered 584 grams of methamphetamine, 24 grams of raw marijuana, 24 grams of suspected cocaine and heroin, according to the affidavit.
Best allegedly had $818 in cash in his pockets.
When questioned, Best reportedly confessed that he purchased two pounds of methamphetamine in Erie two days prior and was selling it to pay on his fines.
He explained he paid $5,000 for one pound and was “fronted” the other pound for later payment. He said he got the cash from selling the meth, police said.
In May of 2016, Best, whose address was listed as Savannah, Ga., pleaded guilty to criminal attempt/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and criminal use of communication facility and was sentenced to 120 days to one year in the county jail.
Those charges stem from an incident at the Clarion Hotel in Sandy Township in December of 2015 when he and others were found in a room where a woman had overdosed on heroin.
According to a previous article, Best had three stamp bags of heroin and $367 in cash. When he got to the jail, a small bag of marijuana fell from his pant leg leading him to have additional contraband charges.
Court records indicate Best owes fines and costs on both cases and failed to appear for a contempt of court hearing in March after which the warrants were issued.
Best is being held in the county jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
