Police: Lehighton man tried to pass off rock salt for meth

Lehighton Police have charged a man with arranging to sell fake methamphetamine in the borough.

Troy Fairchild, 45, of Lehighton, was arraigned Wednesday for allegedly conspiring with a woman to sell rock salt, portrayed to be methamphetamine, to a man in the borough.

The woman, Sheila Duffy, was charged in July.

According to court documents, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office was conducting an ongoing investigation into methamphetamine sales in Carbon County with assistance from Lehighton Police Department when they learned that Duffy was bringing drugs into the borough.

On July 9 around 5:20 p.m., officers with the Carbon County Drug Task Force pulled over a white Kia Optima operated by Duffy.

She was placed in custody and transported to Lehighton Police Department.

Officers with the drug task force interviewed Duffy. She told them she planned to sell an “eight ball” of rock salt disguised as methamphetamine to a man in the borough for $400.

She said that she was only transporting the drugs on behalf of Fairchild, and that she had transported Fairchild to Lehighton numerous times to sell drugs.

Police searched Duffy’s vehicle and found several pieces of drug paraphernalia with drug residue, and three bags of what looked like methamphetamine. Tests showed that it was not.

Police arrested Fairchild at his home on Bridge Street later that day.

Fairchild said he had no part in the incident, but he saw Duffy packaging the fake methamphetamine.

He said he was traveling with Duffy just prior to her getting pulled over, and knew exactly how much she planned to sell the fake drugs for.

Fairchild was charged with possession with intent to deliver narcotics, and selling noncontrolled substances represented as controlled substances.

He is currently being held at Carbon County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $75,000 bail.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 24.

Duffy was charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver narcotics. She is currently awaiting trial.