MINERSVILLE - A 22-year-old Pottsville man was jailed early Friday morning after Minersville police arrested him for allegedly selling methamphetamine.
Jeremy T. Culbert, 733 Port Carbon-Saint Clair Highway, was charged with one felony count each of delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility, as well as one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.
Police said Culbert was charged after an incident in a parking lot on Penn Street in the borough about 11:30 p.m. Thursday.
Police said that about 11 p.m., they were informed that Culbert was selling methamphetamine.
Culbert was contacted through a cellphone and said that he had a gram of the drug for sale for $200, police said.
A buy was set up and $200 in pre-recorded money was given to an undercover officer who would meet Culbert.
Police said the officer walked to the area of Penn Street and waited for Culbert while other officers watched nearby, one in an unmarked car and another in a marked cruiser.
About 11:30 p.m., a pickup truck entered the lot and Culbert got out of the passenger's side and approached the undercover officer, police said.
Culbert told the officer "Hey, what's up, I've been up for four days," and then removed a small baggie containing white crystals from his front pocket and handed it to the undercover officer, police said.
The officer asked what the bag contained and Culbert replied "Its meth, crystal."
Police said the officer gave Culbert the $200 and asked the man if he could get more to which Culbert replied "I dunno, maybe tomorrow, I'll let you know."
Culbert went back to the pickup truck which drove off only to be stopped a short distance away by the officer in the marked cruiser, police said.
Police said Culbert was taken into custody and the $200 in pre-recorded money recovered from between the passenger's seat and a console, the area where Culbert was seated.
Culbert's Samsung cellphone, which police said he used to set up the drug deal, was also seized.
Police released no further information on the driver who was not arrested.
The methamphetamine sold to the undercover officer was placed into evidence and prepared for transport to the state police crime laboratory in Bethlehem for further analysis.
Culbert will now have to appear for a preliminary hearing on the charges before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon.
Culbert was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge James R. Ferrier, Orwigsburg, and committed to Schuylkill County Prison unable to post $5,000 straight cash bail.
Police said their investigation into the sale of illegal drugs in the borough is continuing and anyone with information can call them at 570-544-6212 and select Mailbox 2.
Anonymous information is accepted and all information received will remain confidential, police said.