A Schuylkill County man allegeldy had a container of synthetic urine in his vehicle at the time of a traffic stop earlier this month.
Police in Saint Clair say they made a traffic stop at about 10:30 p.m. on April 6 for a white Volkswagen Beetle with non-functioning brake lights and for passing over the fog line on the right side of the road.
During the stop, the driver – identified as Giuseppe Conigliaro, 30, of Saint Clair – said he knew about the brake lights being out and that he may have gone off the road a little bit due to a steering issue, police say.
While speaking with Conigliaro, police say they detected a strong odor of unpartaken weed coming from inside his Beetle. Conigliaro, they say, was acting extremely nervous, shaking, sweating, and having a hard time holding objects in his hands.
Police say they asked Conigliaro if he had a medical marijuana card. He said he did but not on him at the time. Further, he allegedly admitted to having weed in the car and handed police a small Pringles can with some ash and bits of suspected weed in it. But based on the smell coming from the vehicle, police say this wasn’t the source.
At that time, police say they asked Conigliaro to get out of the vehicle, which he did but in doing so, fumbled some items to the ground as his nervousness increased. When asked if he had anything more on him at the time, Conigliaro apparently admitted to having a grinder in his sweatshirt pocket. Police say based on how much that pocket was sagging, they believed there was more inside.
They were right, apparently, and Conigliaro pulled out a bag of weed from that pocket. Having that, police say they asked and Conigliaro consented to a search of his vehicle. During that search, police say they discovered a container labeled UPass, a synthetic urine, on the driver’s side door panel. The fake pee is sometimes used as a substitute for the real thing in order to pass a drug test.
The search also allegedly netted a Crown Royal bag that contained drug paraphernalia, police say.
Conigliaro has been charged with misdemeanor counts of marijuana possession, paraphernalia possession, and using or attempting to furnish drug-free urine, as well as a summary count for the brake lights. A preliminary hearing before Senior Magisterial Judge Edward Lewis is scheduled for May 26.
Subscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...