Meshoppen man charged with DUI of controlled substance

BY ROBERT L. BAKER
Wyoming County Press Examiner

An Elk Lake High School senior who led the basketball team to a runner up finish in PIAA District 2 competition in the season just ended has been charged with DUI of a controlled substance.

Bailey Steven Newhart, 18, of Meshoppen, was charged by Tpr. George R. Jones with possessing a small amount of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia, after a routine traffic stop because of a malfunctioning left headlight.

According to court records, Newhart was travelling west on Rt. 6 near the area of Lott Road around 11 p.m. on Feb. 7 when Tpr. Jones initiated the stop.
At the time, Jones observed an open container of Milwaukee’s Best beer in a cup holder and was told it belonged to someone else.

A criminal complaint says that Jones detected a small amount of marijuana emanating from Newhart’s 1992 Saturn, and he asked if there might be any marijuana in the vehicle, which Newhart said there was not.

Newhart granted Tpr. Jones verbal consent to search his vehicle, and he discovered a bag which had a clear glass of what was suspected to be marijuana, two glass smoking pipes and a grinder with suspected marijuana residue.

Tpr. Jones said that Newhart acknowledged the items as his property and noted he had smoked marijuana earlier in the evening.

The complaint notes that Jones administered a field sobriety test and determined that Newhart was too impaired to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Newhart was then taken into custody for suspicion of DUI and transported to Tyler Memorial Hospital for a blood draw.

The suspected small amount of marijuana was NIK tested and revealed to positively be what was suspected. The blood test also revealed elements of THC in Newhart’s system at the time of blood draw.

Charges were formally filed against Newhart two weeks ago in Magisterial District Judge Carl Smith’s court in Tunkhannock and a preliminary hearing has been set for April 28.