Trooper: Stolen car pulled over speeding through Turnpike construction zone in Richland

State police accused a man of having pot in the car while he was speeding through a Turnpike construction zone in Richland in a stolen vehicle.

Alexander David Rocco, 22, of Dover Drive in Cranberry was charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property along a count of prohibited acts related to marijuana possession.

He also was issued traffic citations for speeding in a highway construction zone, careless driving, driving an unregistered vehicle and failing to carry his drivers license.

Rocco was released from custody on a nonmonetary bond and ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Tom Swan on July 26, according to court records.

A state trooper wrote in Rocco’s arrest papers that he was working a speed-enforcement detail in the active work zone along the Turnpike in Richland on June 28 when a white 2011 Chevy Impala drove past him in the westbound lane going 82 mph in a zone marked for 55 mph.

The trooper got behind the car to do a traffic stop but instead of pulling off into the far right lane, which was closed, the car stopped in the center lane and stayed there until the trooper yelled for the driver to move out of the open travel lane, the complaint said.

A strong odor of raw marijuana was coming from the vehicle, the trooper wrote, and a “blunt” rolled with marijuana was found in the dashboard console, police said.

Police towed the vehicle from the scene and arrested Rocco after learning that it was reported stolen out of the City of Pittsburgh on June 27 and had a “dead” registration tag, the complaint said.

On June 15 Cranberry Township police charged Rocco with misdemeanor counts of theft from a motor vehicle and evading arrest, according to court records.

Those charges were filed by summons on July 6, court records show. A preliminary hearing is scheduled before a Butler County district judge on Aug. 11.