A Schuylkill County man faces drug and weapons charges following a late-night traffic stop in Schuylkill Haven that allegedly led to the discovery of a loaded handgun and suspected narcotics.
Police in Schuylkill Haven say they stopped a white Ford Fusion on Route 61 shortly after midnight on Feb. 15 because the vehicle’s license plate lights were completely burned out.
The passenger, Rayhiem Tymeek Mitchell, 24, of Pottsville, and the driver – identified as Tony Bradshaw-Browning, 23, of Port Carbon – both had suspended driver’s licenses, police say.
During the stop, police asked Mitchell to exit the vehicle. Mitchell was visibly shaking and consented to a pat-down search, which initially revealed no contraband. Bradshaw-Browning, according to police, handed over suspected marijuana at the same time during the traffic stop.
Because neither man was legally permitted to drive and the vehicle was posing a traffic hazard on the highway, police ordered the car to be towed. Officers then transported the two men to a nearby business, where they were picked up by a friend.
During a subsequent inventory search of the towed vehicle, police say they found a loaded 9mm Glock 43X pistol wrapped inside a coat on the front passenger-side floor where Mitchell had been sitting. Police say they determined that Mitchell does not possess a valid license to carry a gun.
Later at the police station, an officer checking the backseat of the patrol cruiser found a wallet left in the seat where Mitchell had been sitting during transport. Police say the wallet contained Mitchell’s state ID and his Social Security card, along with crushed, unmarked teal-colored pills wrapped in small paper. Tests on those pills allegedly turned up positive for methamphetamine and MDMA, police say.
Mitchell is facing a felony for carrying an unlicensed gun as well as misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.
Bradshaw-Browning has been charged with misdemeanor drug charges and a summary count for driving on a suspended license.
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