Police were looking for one man wanted on criminal charges when they found another allegedly dealing drugs outside of a local motel.
Ferguson Township Police were conducting surveillance Tuesday morning at the Nittany Budget Inn on an unrelated case when they observed suspicious transactions that led to the arrest of David E. Blanchett, Jr., 26, of Philadelphia.
The alleged drug activity was unrelated to the wanted man.
According to a criminal complaint, an officer observed a truck recognized as being involved in other recent drug transactions when an SUV in which Blanchett was the passenger arrived in the parking lot. Police said Blanchett got out, approached the driver of the truck and returned to the SUV.
Police followed Blanchett and the driver of the SUV as they left and returned to the motel parking lot a short time later. Another car arrived and the driver approached the SUV, returning to his car less than a minute later before leaving the parking lot.
Patrol units initiated a traffic stop on the car and recovered three rocks of cocaine, police said. A search of the driver’s cell phone showed text messages to a Philadelphia phone number indicating a meeting near the motel. The driver allegedly admitted to buying crack cocaine for $60.
After continuing surveillance on Blanchett, an officer made contact with him and the SUV’s driver just after noon and said there was a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle yielded a duffle bag belonging to Blanchett with 56 grams of suspected marijuana, four grams of suspected psilocybin mushrooms, a digital scale and unused glassine bags, police said.
Blanchett was then searched and allegedly found in possession of 21 individually packaged rocks of crack cocaine, 18 bags of suspected heroin and $385 in cash.
He was charged with six felony counts of possession with intent to deliver, three felony counts of criminal use of a communication facility, four misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Blanchett was arraigned before District Judge Casey McClain on Tuesday afternoon. He was placed in the Centre County Correctional Facility after being unable to post $25,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 7.
