A Minersville man is locked up in Schuylkill County Prison after he led police in a pursuit then was found with drugs and resisted arrest.
According to court papers filed by Minersville Patrolman Eric Wilson, Jonathan Carvajal, 30, of Minersville, has been charged with fleeing or attempting to elude police, reckless driving, careless driving, driving without a license, and other traffic offenses.
These charges stem from an incident on Friday, May 17th, 2024, around 11:20pm, when Wilson was on patrol and approaching the intersection of Sunbury Street and Fifth Street in Minersville, he we saw a black motorcycle with raised handlebars overtake an SUV and drive through a solid red light.
Patrolman Wilson activated his emergency lights and siren to conduct a traffic stop but the driver continued traveling through another solid red light at the intersection of Sunbury and Fourth Street.
The officer continued to follow the motorcycle until he lost sight of it on the crest of the hill at Second Street.
It was learned that Carvajal drove a motorcycle matching the description of the motorcycle involved and the registration obtained during the pursuit also showed it was registered to Carvajal. It was also learned he did not have a license to operate a motorcycle.
Contact was made with Carvajal where he stated he didn't own a motorcycle, but a check behind his residence in Minersville led to the finding the motorcycle showing the same registration as the one in the pursuit.
On Sunday, May 19th, 2024, police from Minersville and Foster Township returned to Carvajal's residence with a search warrant. Carvajal was found in the backyard and upon informing him they had an arrest and search warrant, he tried to walk away back into his home and began to struggle with the officers.
During the struggle, a glass smoking device, and drug paraphernalia fell from Carvajal. Once taken into custody, a search led to finding that he was in possession of clear plastic bags with a clear, crystal rock like substance in them. A field test rendered a positive result for methamphetamine.
Carvajal was taken into custody and arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli and locked up in Schuylkill County Prison on $15,000 on the charges for the pursuit.
On Tuesday, May 21st, 2024, Patrolman Wilson filed additional charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance for the incident during the arrest.