Man charged with drug possession after being found unconscious inside car

A Palmerton man has been charged after he was found unconscious inside his car and in possession of fentanyl.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Cpl. Michael Hobbs of the Tamaqua Borough Police Department:

At 6:19 a.m. May 29, Tamaqua Police were dispatched to the 500 block of East Broad Street for a man hunched over in the driver seat of a car.

On scene, officers found a silver Ford with a Washington, D.C., registration legally parked on the north side of the street that had damage to its front.

An unconscious male was in the driver’s seat. The keys were not in the ignition, and officer Karl Harig approached the driver door.

When he knocked on the window, the man opened the driver side door. When Harig asked for his ID, the man pulled his wallet out of his left front pocket, and along with his wallet, out came a clear sandwich bag rolled up with numerous purple wax packets in bundles.

The man gave an ID of Jason Dunbar, 37. Dunbar was not fully coherent, and had a hard time explaining where he was.

Tamaqua EMS was on scene and checked Dunbar out, and because of his condition, recommended that he be transported to St. Luke’s Hospital to be evaluated.

At the station, a field test was done of the suspected drugs, and it came up positive as fentanyl. There were 25 bundles each with 10 purple wax packets with fentanyl.

St. Luke’s called and said they would be releasing Dunbar, and officers went to pick him up as he was leaving the ER, at which time he admitted he is a big user, and that is all his.

Dunbar was told that his car was being picked up by the rental company, at which time he asked about getting his belongings out of the car and said there is probably more stuff including needles still inside.

Dunbar signed a consent to search the vehicle, and next to the driver seat were three purple wax packets. Under the driver seat in a plastic sandwich bag were two spoons with residue; four syringes; numerous empty purple wax packets; 50 purple wax packets with suspected fentanyl (five bundles of 10); a small clear bag with an unknown pill; and a small pink plastic bag with an unknown white substance.

Dunbar faces charges of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver; unlawful possession of a controlled substance; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He is currently incarcerated in the Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail, and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing June 18 before District Judge Stephen J. Bayer of Tamaqua.