Police recover stolen AR-15, drugs after crash

Mahoning Township Police recovered a stolen AR-15 rifle and drugs from a vehicle involved in a crash Friday afternoon.

A 25-year-old Slatington man, Nestor Ariel Alvarez, was arrested on charges connected to the incident.

The vehicle in question, a blue Hyundai Elantra, was also involved in a theft which occurred in Lehigh Township, Northampton County the day before.

According to Mahoning Township Police, around 3:50 p.m. Friday, the Elantra rear-ended a vehicle on Route 209 near Beaver Street. The vehicle that was struck also struck another vehicle.

When police responded to the crash, they learned that Lehigh Township Police had issued an “attempt to locate” for a blue Hyundai Elantra following a theft which occurred near Slatington on Thursday.

During the alleged theft, a thief took clothing and a flat-screen television from the Kmart store on Route 248, but abandoned the TV after it didn’t fit in his car.

Following Friday’s crash, police searched the Hyundai and found a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle and three magazines loaded with ammunition. The rifle had been reported stolen out of Allentown.

They also found Xanax, syringes, and a digital scale.

They charged Alvarez and planned to file charges against him, the driver, and another passenger, pending a blood test.

Alvarez was charged with theft, possessing drug paraphernalia, receiving stolen property, and illegally possessing a firearm.

He was sent to Carbon County Correctional Facility with bail set at $4,000.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 10.