A Schuylkill County man was arrested on methamphetamine possession charges early June 9, just hours before he took the stand in a separate DUI trial and testified that he had not used the drug in a long time.
Howard Ash IV, 47, of Port Carbon, was taken into custody by State Police shortly after midnight following a traffic stop along Route 61 in North Manheim Township.
Later that same day, Ash appeared in Schuylkill County Court to successfully defend himself in a bench trial for an unrelated 2025 traffic stop.
The June 9 Traffic Stop
Shortly after midnight on June 9, State Police observed a yellow Dodge Dakota traveling south on Route 61. According to police, a license plate check revealed the vehicle’s registered owner had a Pennsylvania ID but no valid driver’s license.
Police initiated a traffic stop and identified Ash as the driver. Officers noted that Ash’s license was suspended for a prior DUI, though Ash told police the truck belonged to a friend.
During the stop, a trooper on the passenger side of the vehicle reported seeing a clear glass smoking device on the floorboards. Ash denied ownership of the pipe and told police he did not know it was in the vehicle.
According to police, Ash admitted to carrying a pocket knife. During a subsequent weapons search, police reported finding a bag of marijuana in his pocket. Ash allegedly told officers the bag was given to him and he had not smoked from it.
Ash agreed to undergo Standardized Field Sobriety Tests but declined the walk-and-turn and one-leg stand tests, citing a knee injury. Police said he showed no signs of impairment on the remaining tests.
However, Ash was taken into custody at the scene. During a search incident to arrest, police reported finding a bag of methamphetamine in his right pocket. He was given his phone to call for a ride and was subsequently released from custody.
Charges related to this traffic stop weren’t filed until June 24. A preliminary hearing on them is set for Aug. 11 at District Court in Orwigsburg.
Commonwealth v. Howard Ash IV (Bench Trial)
Later on June 9, Ash appeared in Courtroom 6 at the Schuylkill County Courthouse for a bench trial before Judge Andrew Serina.
Ash was representing himself against a DUI charge stemming from a State Police traffic stop on Oct. 16, 2025. During that incident, Ash was stopped around 2 a.m. near the Pottsville Park Plaza on Route 61 because items overflowing in his truck bed obscured his license plate.
At trial, Cpl. Thomas Kirk testified that Ash exhibited signs of impairment during the October stop, including glassy, bloodshot eyes and “pick marks” on his arms indicating prior drug use. Body camera footage played in court showed Ash speaking with heavily slurred speech. However, during the trial, Ash exhibited a very similar speech pattern to that shown in the video and was, at times, difficult to understand.
“Your speech is all over the place. You’re hard to understand,” Kirk is heard telling Ash on the footage. After Ash struggled with an eye-tracking test, Kirk added: “I still think you used something today.”
Police also found a pouch of marijuana in the driver’s side door panel, which Ash testified did not belong to him.
Following field tests, Ash agreed to be transported to Lehigh Valley Health Network in Pottsville for a blood test. However, body camera footage showed Ash refusing the draw at the hospital, expressing fear that nurses would not be able to find a vein.
“I don’t want to get stuck like this. Just mark it as a refusal,” Ash told police at the hospital. “I don’t want to get stuck a bunch of times. I really don’t, dude.”
Because Ash refused the blood test, and because the State Police did not have a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) testify to confirm the physical signs of impairment, Judge Serina found the evidence insufficient for a DUI conviction, including Kirk’s admission that in the time he followed Ash through Pottsville, he hadn’t committed one moving violation behind the wheel.
“I think we need a DRE here,” Serina told the prosecution.
Serina found Ash not guilty of DUI and dismissed a charge of possessing drug paraphernalia. Ash was found guilty of possessing a small amount of marijuana and driving with an obscured license plate.
Taking the stand in his own defense during the trial, Ash testified that he had been working at an apartment in Pottsville all day and felt police targeted him when he drove home.
“The officer followed me for close to two miles,” Ash testified.
Ash acknowledged having a previous drug problem but testified he had not touched narcotics like methamphetamine in years. At one point during the trial, Ash asked police if they knew the difference between pick marks and burns on the skin. Ash also asked Kirk if he knew that diabetics heal slower than normal. He also testified to his belief that police “dumped honey all over the stuff in my vehicle.”
“I’ve always worked with police,” Ash testified in court. “I’ve always been honest and up front. I keep getting arrested.”
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