CLEARFIELD – A Michigan man was given a long-term prison sentence on felony drug charges Friday in Clearfield County Court.
Charles Edwin-Deangel Stephens, 31, of Pontiac, Mich., was found guilty of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, criminal use of communication facility, all felonies as well as misdemeanor resisting arrest and intentional possession of a controlled substance by specially presiding Senior Judge David C. Klementik of Somerset County after a short bench trial.
The charges stem from an incident in DuBois on April 6.
Stephens was sentenced to serve 42 months to 84 months in state prison, according to District Attorney Ryan Sayers.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, as part of a drug investigation, Stephens was seen walking along West Washington Avenue with another suspect. Text messages indicated that Stephens was there to complete a drug delivery.
While officers were concealed, they observed Stephens and the other suspect going in and out of a residence for several hours.
They made contact with Stephens as he was sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle they believed was going to take him back to Michigan.
When they asked him to step out of the vehicle, he asked what he had done wrong and asked to see a search warrant.
Officers eventually had to pull him from the vehicle. He immediately began to resist and pull away from them.
As they tried to gain control of him once he was on the ground, he pulled his arms away and tried to reach for his waistband while screaming “help”.
They were able to get control of him and get him handcuffed. As they rolled him on his side to search him, they saw a large quantity of cash and a bag with methamphetamine.
Stephens then stated “that ain’t mine.”
More cash was found on the floor of the vehicle directly where he had been sitting and scattered around the outside of the vehicle.
A total of $4,526 was found and the methamphetamine was determined to weigh 2.9 ounces.