An arrest warrant has been issued for a Lycoming County man who was found face-down next to his vehicle in the parking lot of Rutter’s nearly two years ago.
According to court documents filed this week by State Police-Schuylkill Haven, Troopers were dispatched to the convenience store along Route 61 in West Brunswick Township at about 6 a.m. on July 3, 2023. Police say they received a report of a man slumped over the wheel of his vehicle in the parking lot.
When police arrived, they say a man – later identified as Lance Gingery, 36, of Cogan Station, Lycoming County – was face down on the ground next to a silver Hyundai. The driver-side door and trunk were both open. Police say they flipped the man over and he woke up but his eyes were extremely glossy and bloodshot.
Gingery was reportedly asked if he’d taken anything that day and he said no. Police say they asked him how he got to Rutter’s and he reportedly responded, “I drove here; it’s all on camera.”
Gingery reportedly told police that he was headed to Williamsport via Philadelphia and Lancaster. Police say they looked up the easiest routes to and from those areas and they didn’t include using Route 61. They suspected Gingery was not using major highways to get to Williamsport in order to avoid detection by police.
After conducting sobriety tests at the scene, police say they asked Gingery if he had anything in his vehicle like weed, meth, heroin, or pills.
In response, Gingery reportedly said, “Put it like this … There was four people in the car. Right, so I could go like, like the, I could like on the way of like, I don’t know cause not everything’s mine.”
Later that morning, police eventually obtained a search warrant to look through Gingery’s vehicle. Police say a black locking zipper bag in the vehicle contained 11 baggies containing methamphetamine, weighing about 32 grams. Seventy-six plastic baggies containing a blue waxine paper along with two waxine baggies were also found contained suspected fentanyl.
Various pharmaceutical pills, empty waxine baggies, and several pieces of drug paraphernalia were also found in that zipper bag, police say.
After taking Gingery back to the Schuylkill Haven barracks for processing, he was released but stayed there while waiting for a ride. Police say Gingery wrote on a blank piece of paper while he was inside the barracks, “My backpack had 2 locks on it so will they need 1 warrant for car 1 warrant for the lock and 1 warrant for the other lock”.
District Magistrate Judge AJ Serina signed a warrant for Gingery’s arrest on Wednesday. Police have charged him with two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver. He’s also facing a misdemeanor for DUI and several counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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