CLARION TWP., Pa. (EYT) — A 30-year-old Fairmount City man was jailed Monday on charges stemming from the discovery of a mobile meth lab during a traffic stop last year on Greenville Avenue.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Clarion-based State Police Tpr. Graf, the charges stem from an August 7, 2017 traffic stop along Greenville Avenue in Clarion Township, Clarion County.
While on patrol, Tpr. Graf initiated the traffic stop after he noticed a vehicle with an expired inspection sticker.
Upon making contact with the driver, Justin Michael Barr, of Fairmount City, Tpr. Graf observed several bags in the vehicle and detected a chemical odor emanating from the car, the criminal complaint said.
Tpr. Graf said the scent was not consistent with automotive odors such as oil or gasoline.
“Due to the heavy chemical smell, it was my assumption at that time Barr was either transporting methamphetamine or was currently involved in making it,” said Tpr. Graf in the criminal complaint. “I asked him if there were drugs in the vehicle. He did not answer and appeared extremely nervous. He had been looking at me and was talking and now would only look straight ahead.”
Tpr. Graf also noticed that the vehicle’s inspection sticker was altered with a black marker to make it appear valid, and the sticker’s “void indicator” was exposed indicating it had been removed from another vehicle, the criminal complaint said.
According to the criminal complaint, Tpr. Graf ran a check on Barr and discovered that he was wanted on a Clarion County arrest warrant for failure to appear for a DUI hearing.
In addition, the license plate on the vehicle was registered to a 1998 GMC Blazer owned by a known woman and the vehicle Barr was driving was a Pontiac minivan, the criminal complaint said.
When Tpr. Graf asked for permission to search the vehicle, Barr complied and said he “had nothing to hide,” according to the criminal complaint.
Barr was taken into custody by the Clarion County Sherrif’s Office and transported to the Clarion County Jail on the previously mentioned DUI-related search warrant.
A search of the vehicle yielded suspected methamphetamine and various types of paraphernalia used for ingesting methamphetamine.
Additionally, a camouflage backpack containing items commonly used to construct a mobile methamphetamine laboratory and medication prescribed to a known male was found between the front seats, the criminal complaint said.
According to the criminal complaint, the Pennsylvania State Police Troop C Lab Team was contacted and requested to take the suspected methamphetamine lab into their custody due to the hazardous materials.
Barr was released from the county jail on August 16, 2017.
Recently, lab results were returned and revealed that the items in Barr’s possession were being used or had been used to manufacture methamphetamine. Methamphetamine was also confirmed to be present in the vehicle.
The following charges were subsequently filed against Barr on March 27, 2018, at Magisterial District Judge Duane L. Quinn’s office:
- Operating a Methamphetamine Lab, Felony 2
- Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony
- Possessing Phenylpropanolamine, etc., or a Precursor Substance with Intent to Unlawfully Manufacture, Felony
- Knowingly Possess Ephedrine, Misdemeanor
- Intentional Possession Controlled Substance By Person Not Registered, Misdemeanor
- Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor
- Allow Illegal Use Of Plate/Card, Summary
- Operate Vehicle without Valid Inspection, Summary
Barr was taken into custody and arraigned before Judge Quinn on Monday, April 9, 2018, at 10:30 a.m.
He was placed in the county jail and released on Monday afternoon after posting $25,000.00 cash bail.
Barr is awaiting a preliminary hearing.
