A Schuylkill County man was jailed after a search of his home allegedly uncovered fentanyl, methamphetamine, and two illegally possessed rifles.
Members of the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s Office and the State Police Troop L Vice/Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at a little after 7:30 a.m. on May 27 at the home of Justin Matthews at 216 Line St. in Pottsville.
Police say they saw Matthews exiting his front door as they arrived. Officers approached, identified themselves, and secured Matthews and his backpack. Both were searched without incident.
During a search of the residence, police allege they seized multiple bags containing suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, and 30 Buprenorphine and Naloxone films. Investigators say field tests on random samples yielded positive results for methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana.
In addition to the narcotics, police reported finding two digital scales and numerous unused re-sealable baggies and glassine packets. Based on the quantity of the drugs and the presence of packaging materials and scales, police believe Matthews was in the business of selling fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Authorities say they also seized two firearms from Matthews’ home: an ATI Summerville S.C. .22 L.R. caliber rifle and a Mossberg International 715T .22 L.R. caliber rifle.
Matthews, police say, is legally prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior criminal history, which includes convictions for robbery and burglary stemming from arrests in 2000, as well as aggravated assault and weapons offenses from a 2017 arrest.
At his arraignment last week, police suggested Matthews was a flight risk due to his connections in New Jersey and New York and asked that his bail be set at $150,000. Magisterial District Judge James Reiley set bail at $100,000 cash and remanded him to Schuylkill County Prison.
Matthews appeared before Reiley on Monday for a preliminary hearing. However, he didn’t have an attorney and told the judge he’d only just reached out to the Schuylkill County Public Defenders Office to represent him prior to his hearing. A frustrated Reiley questioned Matthews’ lackadaisical approach to finding representation, even after he’d given him explicit instructions – including the name of a person to contact -on what to do once he was processed at the jail.
Reiley was hesitant to grant the continuance Matthews requested on Monday but ultimately granted it after the defendant said he’d contacted the Public Defenders Office.
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