Police arrest driver with 3 pounds of marijuana

EXETER » Police have arrested a Pottstown man after he was allegedly found with three pounds of marijuana and a gun during a traffic stop on Route 422.

Jakkar Colon, 20, of Pottstown, has been charged after police say they pulled him over and noticed several suspicious items in his vehicle.

On Jan. 9 at approximately 1:16 p.m., officers noticed a silver Nissan on the 5900 block of Perkiomen Avenue (Route 422) that did not have inspection stickers and had dark, tinted windows, police said. Police pulled the vehicle over in the area of East Baumstown Road and South Center Road.

An officer approached the vehicle and stated he noticed an overwhelming smell of air fresheners once he reached the rear door. The driver was later identified as Colon and the officer stated he noticed several unusual items while waiting at the car door for Colon’s paperwork. Police observed three or four air fresheners near the gear shifter, along with several unopened air fresheners on the rear floor. In addition, police said there were several black and blue rubber bands used for packaging narcotics near the console as well as two cell phones. When Colon reached into the center console, police saw a large amount of money wrapped in a rubber band and folded over a black easy loader, a tool used for loading bullets into a magazine, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

An Exeter K9 officer was called to the scene.

Colon was asked to wait in the police vehicle while officers searched the vehicle near the front driver seat.

At that time, a K9 officer made an alert on the vehicle near the driver side and officers informed Colon that they would be searching the whole vehicle.

Police recovered an Apple 5s phone, a black loader tool, a .38 caliber bullet, seven small black rubber bands, $3,339 in cash, three tree air fresheners from the gear shifter and one unopened air freshener from the rear floor. Police also found a black Polo bag that contained a silver and brown Smith and Wesson revolver loaded with five live rounds.

In the trunk, police found three vacuum sealed plastic bags with marijuana weighing approximately one pound each inside a red bag.

Colon was then placed under arrest and charged with possession of a firearm prohibited, firearms not to be carried without a license, manufacture, delivery or possession with intent, possession of marijuana, operating a vehicle without valid inspection and operating unsafe equipment.

He was arraigned on Jan. 9 before District Judge Thomas M. Gauby Sr. and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 17 before District Judge Sandra Fegley.

He was unable to post the set $50,000 bail and is being held at Berks County Prison.