Clarion County Man Caught With Mobile Meth Lab to be Sentenced This Week

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published October 30, 2018 4:30 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – A Clarion County man will be sentenced on Wednesday on charges stemming from the discovery of a mobile meth lab during a traffic stop on Greenville Avenue in Clarion.

According to court documents, 31-year-old Justin Michael Barr, of Fairmount City, will be sentenced on Wednesday, October 31, at 9:00 a.m. by Clarion County President Judge James G. Arner.

Barr pleaded guilty on Wednesday, September 5, in the Clarion County Court of Common Pleas to felony possession of phenylpropanolamine, etc., or a precursor substance with intent to unlawfully manufacture.

As a result of the plea agreement, the following charges were dismissed:

  • Operating a Methamphetamine Lab, Felony 2
  • Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, 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 also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DUI: highest rate of alcohol (BAC .16+) and misdemeanor DUI: high rate of alcohol (Bac.10 — <.16) in two other cases on September 5 in the Clarion County Court of Common Pleas. He will also be sentenced on Wednesday on these two charges.

Barr is currently free on $27,000.00 unsecured bail.

Details of the Case:

According to a criminal complaint filed by Clarion-based State Police Trooper Graf, the charges stem from an August 7, 2017 traffic stop along Greenville Avenue in Clarion Township, Clarion County.

While on patrol, Trooper 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, Trooper Graf observed several bags in the vehicle and detected a chemical odor emanating from the car, the criminal complaint indicates.

Trooper 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 Trooper 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.”

Trooper 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, according to the complaint.

Trooper 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.

When Trooper 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 complaint states.

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.

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, according to the complaint.

Barr also faces a preliminary arraignment on an October 5 second-degree misdemeanor retail theft charge and preliminary hearings on second degree retail theft charges from a September 5 case and an October 5 case.

RELATED:

Preliminary Arraignment on October 31 — Criminal Docket, October 5, 2018 Retail Theft

Preliminary Hearing on November 13 — Criminal Docket, October 5, 2018 Retail Theft

Preliminary Hearing on November 13 — Criminal Docket, September 6, 2018 Retail Theft

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