Police: Shenandoah man caught high with recently stolen car
SUFFOLK – A Shenandoah man is in Schuylkill County Prison after state troopers say he was caught driving high in a car stolen two days prior in New Jersey.
Michael Rush, 38, of West Oak Street, was arraigned Sunday on felony receiving stolen property, misdemeanor DUI, and numerous summary traffic charges.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Trooper Nathan McHugh, the trooper was on patrol in Mahanoy Township near Coles Patch around 2pm Sunday headed east towards Mahanoy City.
A black Toyota Corolla crossed the fog line heading west and the trooper turned around to follow. The sedan crossed the center line as well and a traffic stop was initiated.
McHugh wrote that the sedan had a New Jersey inspection sticker but a Pennsylvania license plate. A PennDOT search of the plate returned no records.
The sedan stopped a Blaschak Coal and the trooper made contact with the driver, later identified as Rush.
When asked for his driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance, he said he did not have a valid driver’s license. He had a license suspended for DUI, troopers said.
McHugh wrote that his eyes were glassy and there were other signs of impairment, including an odor of marijuana. Inside the car, the trooper saw a bag of a green leaf substance in the cupholder and two New Jersey plates on the passenger floorboard.
When asked about the plates, Rush couldn’t provide information. Regarding the leaf substance, he told troopers it was marijuana, was his, and he did not have a medical marijuana card.
Field sobriety tests were administered, which Rush failed. He refused to consent to a blood draw or a vehicle search and he was taken into custody and the vehicle impounded.
A search of the Toyota’s VIN showed the vehicle was stolen from Hoboken, New Jersey, last Friday. When asked about that, Rush again could not provide information, troopers said.
He was arraigned Sunday by on-call Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli and committed to Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post $100,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 20.
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