State police seized cocaine, marijuana in interstate traffic stop in Guilford Township

A New York resident was taken into police custody in Guilford Township last Tuesday after a traffic stop by a Pennsylvania State Trooper led to drug charges.

Clarence Collins, 56, is facing charges of manufacturing, delivery, or possession of a controlled substance, use/possession of drug paraphernalia and more, according to court records. 

On Oct. 20, at approximately 8:30 p.m., a state trooper observed a white Ford Escape with a Georgia registration traveling in front of his cruiser near mile marker 17 on Interstate 81 at a "high rate of speed." The trooper noted in court documents the vehicle was traveling at 70 mph in a 65 mph zone and "swerving within its lane of travel."

The trooper conducted a traffic stop at the Exit 16 southbound off-ramp.

The driver, identified as Collins by his North Carolina driver's license, had multiple food containers and water bottles inside the vehicle that the trooper noted indicated "frequent, non-stop travel," according to court documents. 

Collins' hands were shaking, and he was "visibly nervous," according to the trooper.

Collins took out a cell phone and began filming the encounter with law enforcement, according to court records.

The defendant told the trooper that the vehicle was a rental and had been due back in Brooklyn, New York on Oct. 15. He told the trooper that he was making a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina and then a return trip to Brooklyn. When asked, he said he was visiting an aunt in the hospital.

After a criminal check, the trooper discovered a prior criminal record related to drug trafficking.

The trooper requested Collins step out of the vehicle, at which point the defendant became "agitated," according to police.

When asked if there was cocaine or anything illegal inside the vehicle, Collins "hesitated," "continued to display nervous behavior and began stating he felt light-headed," court documents indicate.

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Collins denied the trooper consent to search the vehicle, so a K-9 unit was requested.

Mattis, a dog from the Chambersburg Borough's K-9 narcotics unit, arrived on the scene and gave a "positive alert on the driver's side of the vehicle by giving a sit and stare."

A probable cause search was conducted, which yielded 2 large baggies of marijuana and 5 baggies of cocaine, according to police.

The cocaine was later weighed to be 54 grams and the marijuana seized weighed in at 57.5 grams.

Collins was put in Franklin County Jail on $250,000 bail.

He is scheduled to appear before Magisterial District Judge Duane Cunningham for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 26. 

Carley Bonk is a Watchdog Reporter for the USA Today Network - Pennsylvania. Her coverage spans across the southcentral region of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at cbonk@publicopinionnews.com or on Twitter at @carls_marie.