Drug charges waived to court
Drug charges filed by Washington County detectives against a Pitcairn man were waived to court Tuesday.
Julius Lancelot Smith, 26, faces a felony charge of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance and misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and use or possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges were filed by Washington County Detective Michael Leasure.
According to the affidavit filed with the charges, Smith was stopped by Washington County Sheriffs for outstanding warrants after he was spotted driving on I-70. The stop was made on the off ramp to Eighty Four and the vehicle, which the complaint says smelled of burned marijuana, was searched.
Officers found a Suave hairspray can with a false bottom in the vehicle. Inside the can were two bricks of heroin and a small amount of marijuana. More bricks of heroin were found under the backseat of the patrol vehicle used to transport Smith, with a total of 12 bricks of heroin in 600 stamp bags and $611 cash seized during the stop.
Smith was initially arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Traci McDonald, with bond set at $50,000 cash and a requirement for Smith to wear an electronic ankle bracelet if bonded out.
Smith’s attorney, Samir Sarna of Pittsburgh, asked Magisterial District Judge Curtis Thompson to amend those bond conditions Tuesday since Smith had paid all outstanding costs associated with past cases that had resulted in the outstanding warrants against him. Smith is now on a $50,000 nominal bond and no longer needs to be under electronic monitoring.