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From Mirror staff reports
A city man was arraigned Friday night on drug charges stemming from an alleged drug sale and subsequent search of his home in 2021.
Mateen S. Johnson, 45, was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Fred B. Miller on felony charges of possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication facility, along with a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance. Bail in the case was set at $25,000.
The charges in that case come from a traffic stop made on May 28, 2021, during a saturation detail through the Blair County Drug Task Force, when officers pulled over a driver who failed to use a turn signal. Earlier in the evening, police saw the vehicle parked in front Johnson's home and observed Johnson standing in the doorway. Court documents state Johnson is known to traffic narcotics. During the traffic stop, the front seat passenger, who got into the car in front of Johnson's home, admitted to purchasing from Johnson eight Oxycodone pills for $25 each, court documents state.
In the second case, Johnson was arraigned on two felony charges of possession with intent to deliver, possession of a firearm prohibited and misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail in this case was set at $75,000.
The charges in the second case come from a search warrant executed later that day at Johnson's residence on the 500 block of Fifth Avenue, court documents state.
At 6:45 p.m., Drug Task Force members executed the warrant and found 309 green and yellow prepackaged bags of suspected crack cocaine hidden throughout the apartment, including stuffed inside a sock, hidden inside a coffee container, in a cardboard box and inside a gum container. In addition, officers found an unknown powder substance in a case and marijuana and a marijuana pouch, along with various packaging materials, drug paraphernalia, false bottom containers and documents that contained Johnson's name.
In addition, the search turned up a Smith and Wesson. 380 Shield handgun, a holster, magazine and more than three dozen rounds of ammunition. The gun was loaded and a bullet was in the chamber, police reported.
Johnson was not home at the time of the search, court documents state.
Johnson, who is a convicted felon, is a person not to possess a firearm, according to the report.
On Friday, Johnson was unable to post a total of $100,000 bail, and was remanded to the Blair County Prison. His preliminary hearings are set for Oct. 18 before Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio.