Coaldale police find drugs in traffic stops

Several traffic stops by Coaldale Police led to drug charges:

• A traffic stop on Oct. 19 ended with charges filed against a Summit Hill man.

An officer was on patrol at 3:48 p.m. when he saw a blue Chevrolet Cavalier fail to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Fourth and West Ruddle streets.

He stopped the car and identified Matthew Robert Lasky, 21, of 142 E. White St., Summit Hill, as the driver. Lasky admitted not stopping and gave consent for a search of his vehicle. The officer found three clear plastic bags with remnants of suspected marijuana.

Lasky was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. He was given a verbal warning for the traffic violation.

• An officer on patrol saw a silver Hyundai Elantra traveling on Route 209 on Nov. 12 with a nonworking driver's side headlamp. The officer stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as Cale Staruch, 22, of Lansford. He also identified a passenger as Eli Suvag, 23, also of Lansford.

Both men consented to being searched.

Officers found remnants of suspected marijuana in the center console and Suveg had glassine bag and a "dime bag" containing white powder.

Suveg was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, while Staruch was charged with possession of marijuana.

• Police cited Mary Catherine Petritsch, 23, of East Kline Avenue, Lansford, in connection with a traffic stop on July 29.

Petritsch was a passenger in a green Plymouth Neon that was stopped at 2:13 a.m. due to the car drifting back and forth across the center and fog lines on Route 209.

The officer found burned residue of suspected marijuana in her purse.

She was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.