Driver arrested on firearms, marijuana charges on Rt. 422

Exeter Township police arrested a Philadelphia man Tuesday morning on Route 422 after pulling him over for a windowtint violation, meaning the officer could not see occupants inside the car.

Quamir L. Terry-Johnson, 20, was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $30,000 bail after arraignment Tuesday night before District Judge Gail M. Greth in Reading Central Court to await a hearing.

The charges include possessing a firearm with the serial number scratched off and fake temporary tags. Investigators gave this account: About 8:20 a.m., an officer was on patrol in the area of Perkiomen Avenue and Oley Turnpike Road when he observed a black sedan in a gas station parking lot with extreme sun screening on all windows. He noticed the vehicle pull out of the station and head east on Perkiomen.

Due to heavy morning traffic, by the time the officer turned around his patrol vehicle to follow the sedan, he wasn’t able to catch up to make a traffic stop for several miles until the area of Route 345.

When Terry-Johnson rolled down his passenger side window, the officer was met with an odor of marijuana. He asked Terry-Johnson where he was coming from and the suspect said a family member’s house in Exeter, but could not provide an address.

The officer called for backup and asked Terry-Johnson to step out of the vehicle.

Terry-Johnson refused and initially refused to grant permission for the officer to search the car.

When the officer said he would have no choice but to call in a drug-detecting K-9, which would give him probable cause to have the vehicle impounded for a search warrant to be served, TerryJohnson agreed to allow police the roadside search, but only the inside of the vehicle.

Police found a small amount of loose marijuana under the driver’s seat. When they opened the trunk, Terry-Johnson said he was withdrawing his consent. Police stopped the search and called for Officer Brian Downs and his K-9 partner, Jax.

The police dog sniffed the vehicle and gave a positive indication for narcotics.

Police had the car impounded while they obtained a search warrant. About 2:30 p.m., after obtaining the warrant from District Judge Sandra Fegley, investigators searched the sedan from bumper to bumper.

In a backpack in the trunk they found four bags of marijuana along with $6,634.

Under the hood next to the battery, they found a 9mm pistol with a 17-round, fully loaded magazine with one round in the chamber. The serial number was removed. Terry-Johnson is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a drug-related conviction.

Besides felony firearms counts, he is charged with possessing a small amount of marijuana, improper window screen, vehicle title registration fraud, driving an unregistered vehicle and related counts.

Earlier this week, a driver was pulled over for not having headlights on after dark in Reading.

He was arrested on driving while under the influence of marijuana, possessing marijuana and firearms felonies.