A Schuylkill County man was jailed over the weekend on charges he stole a vehicle left in a parking lot by its rightful owner after they’d struck a deer.
State Police say they were dispatched shortly before noon on Nov. 15 to Fern Lane and Berne Drive in South Manheim Township for a report of an unresponsive man in a silver car.
When they arrived on scene, police say they found the car parked off the side of the road on property marked with No Trespassing signs. The vehicle had visible damage to the front bumper and hood. Later, police say they learned that the vehicle had struck a deer.
Police say they ordered the man behind the wheel – identified as Justin Reber, 32, of Auburn – out of the vehicle. Reber got out of the vehicle but was “stumbling all over the place” while acting incoherently and lethargic, police say in their affidavit.
During a pat-down, police say they found a small, clear plastic bag with a white powdery substance in Reber’s front pants pocket. A smoking pipe was in plain view on the front dash inside the vehicle, police say.
A note was also found inside the vehicle with a person’s name and phone number.
Reber was detained at the scene. He reportedly told police that he took an unknown pill and smoked some meth prior to getting picked up by police. At the scene, police say Reber refused a blood test and denied them permission to search the vehicle.
The vehicle was towed away from the scene and Reber was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Police say they then called the number on that note found inside the vehicle. The person on the other end of that call reportedly said that the vehicle was their sister’s and that they’d been involved in a crash with a deer on Route 61 on Nov. 13.
They said their insurance company told them to leave it in the parking lot of Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania, near the Cressona Mall. The person on the phone with police reportedly said they weren’t aware their vehicle was stolen. They also denied knowing Reber.
Police have filed felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property against Reber. He’s also been charged with misdemeanor counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and DUI. He’s also facing summary counts of vehicular trespassing and driving on a suspended license.
Reber was arraigned on those charges before Magisterial District Judge AJ Serina on Nov. 15. Serina set bail at $75,000 and remanded Reber to Schuylkill County Prison.
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