DUBOIS – A DuBois man will stand trial for allegedly selling methamphetamine to undercover officers.
Eric Ross Zmitravich, 37, was charged by DuBois City police with felony drug charges in four, separate cases for sales in December and January.
Zmitravich waived his right to preliminary hearings Friday on these cases during centralized court at District Judge Pat Ford’s office.
Zmitravich remains incarcerated at the county jail on a total of $22,000 bail.
According to the first affidavit of probable cause, on Dec. 17 a confidential informant set up a controlled buy from Zmitravich.
After first contacting him at his residence, the informant and the undercover officer took him to the DuBois Mall where he said he could meet his supplier and get the drugs for them.
When he returned to their vehicle, he allegedly gave them a plastic bag of meth but apologized it was not the quantity he had promised. He charged them $200 and then asked for a “bump” or small amount for his own use.
They agreed, and he reportedly took a small pinch of meth.
After they dropped him off at his residence, he said he would deal with them “again anytime.”
On Jan. 15, another purchase was arranged for Jan. 16, according to court documents in the second case.
The same undercover officer and an informant picked Zmitravich up on South Jared Street, took him to a business where he met someone who said it was too busy to do the exchange there, and then to a residence on South State Street.
Zmitravich asked them to leave him there and come back in three or four minutes, which they did. He then reentered the vehicle and allegedly gave the officer a plastic bag containing one-eighth of an ounce of meth.
He reportedly told them that he only gets high-quality meth and he would only sell it to the officer.
On Jan. 21, the undercover officer texted back and forth with Zmitravich to arrange another purchase of meth for the next day, according to that affidavit.
The undercover officer picked him up and took him back to the same residence. Again, he told her to drive around and come back in five minutes.
When the officer returned, he got into the vehicle and said his source wasn’t there yet, but he was texting someone else he knew who had meth.
He was unable to get hold of this second source and asked the officer to come back later.
This would not work for the officer who then asked if he had any meth himself that he could sell. He agreed to sell some of his own meth, a gram, for $100.
To get it, the officer drove him back to his residence and dropped him off. Later he was picked up near South Jared Street and they drove to the back of a business in that area where Zmitravich allegedly gave her meth in a plastic bag.
In the last case, on Jan. 29, the officer again reportedly exchanged text messages with Zmitravich to set up another sale.
Police determined that when Zmitravich arrived, he would be taken into custody for warrants he had from Ford’s office.
When the officer reached their designated meeting point on South Jared Street, the officer sent Zmitravich a message notifying that she had arrived.
A few minutes later when he was seen walking down the street, the order was given to officers in the area to apprehend him. Zmitravich reached a parking lot before police arrived and took him into custody.
While they were doing this, he reportedly managed to remove a small Ziplock bag of meth that fell to the ground.
He was searched and a syringe was found on him.
He is charged with manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal use of communication facility and possession of a controlled substance in three cases and in the fourth case, he is charged with dealing in proceeds of unlawful acts, manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
