Pair arrested on drug charges await hearing
A homeless woman and a Philadelphia man face hearings next month stemming from a weekend traffic stop in southern Butler County that yielded suspected cocaine, marijuana and pills, authorities said.
Troopers arrested 20-year-old Shawna M. Klara and 48-year-old Terry D. Freeman following the stop around 2:10 a.m. Saturday on Spithaler School Road in Forward Township.
State police said Klara was driving a sport utility vehicle that was pulled over for having a faulty brake light.
At the vehicle's passenger side, one of the troopers noticed a small plastic bag on the ground next to the door, according to court documents. The bag allegedly contained what appeared to be cocaine and there was a straw protruding from it.
Freeman, a front-seat passenger, is accused of initially giving troopers a bogus name. He eventually provided his real name and admitted the bag of suspected cocaine was his, police said.
The troopers later searched the SUV. In a handbag belonging to Klara, police said, was about one gram of suspected cocaine and one-half gram of suspected marijuana.The bag also allegedly contained four pills of gabapentin, a drug used in the treatment of nerve pain and seizures, for which Klara did not have a prescription.District Judge Bill O'Donnell arraigned her on two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count each of possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, all misdemeanors.She also was cited for a lighting violation. She is free on $10,000 bail.O'Donnell arraigned Freeman on misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance drug paraphernalia and false identification of law enforcement authorities. He is free on $20,000 bail.Preliminary hearings for both defendants are scheduled June 11 at the office of District Judge Wayne Seibel in Evans City.
