State police said they had to use a Taser on a suspected drugged driver Tuesday night after troopers tried to remove a knife from one of his pockets following a traffic stop in Butler.

Theodore E. Pfenningwerth, 30, of Butler Township, was arrested following the incident in the area of North Monroe and East Brady streets.

District Judge Wayne Seibel arraigned him Wednesday on charges of resisting arrest, obstructing the administration of law or other government function, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and four traffic violations.

He is free on $10,000 unsecured bail.

Police said they pulled over Pfenningwerth just after 9:40 p.m. after they saw him driving a sport utility vehicle with a faulty brake light and an expired registration.

While speaking to him, according to charging documents, police suspected he was impaired, possibly on marijuana. He got out of the vehicle, but he would not consent to a search, according to charging documents.

He allegedly admitted that he had a knife in his pocket. However, when a trooper tried to remove it, the defendant is accused of pulling away.

Police eventually took Pfenningwerth to the ground, documents said, but he “continued to struggle and resist.” A trooper deployed his Taser and drive-stunned the suspect before he was placed in handcuffs.

Drive stunning generally refers to placing a Taser directly against a person's body, rather than using a cartridge to discharge darts or probes.

Police said when they searched Pfenningwerth, they found a knife, a prescription bottle with suspected marijuana and a suspected marijuana pipe.

He was later taken to Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood test. Toxicology results were not available.

Pfenningwerth's preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 8. Online court records do not list an attorney for him.