A Derry Township man was arrested Thursday after police seized two pounds of methamphetamine from him, according to court documents.
Todd F. Stumpf, 59, is charged with possession with intent to deliver.
Police received a tip Wednesday that Stumpf was traveling from Maryland to Blairsville, carrying two to four pounds of methamphetamine. Officers had previously received tips that Stumpf was selling methamphetamine in the Blairsville area.
Blairsville Borough Police staged a car along Route 217, anticipating Stumpf would arrive in Blairsville between midnight and 1 a.m. Thursday.
Police spotted Stumpf’s vehicle driving along Route 217 around 12:45 a.m. and initiated a traffic stop. Officers discovered that Stumpf’s license was suspended after a DUI incident. Police had also previously arrested Savannah Hutton, who was traveling with Stumpf, for methamphetamine possession.
Police interviewed Stumpf and Hutton separately. Their reported travel plans were not consistent, police said.
Stumpf denied police consent to search his vehicle, but police persisted with the search, citing reasonable suspicion the vehicle housed drugs. A police dog detected narcotics.
While waiting for a tow truck to impound the vehicle, Stumpf and Hutton gave police permission to enter the vehicle and retrieve cigarettes for them. While getting the cigarettes, police saw a large bag of suspected drugs in an open paper bag sitting on the floor of the front passenger seat.
After being arrested, Stumpf told police he was being paid $2,000 to move two pounds of methamphetamine from Maryland. He told police Hutton was not involved.
Stumpf told police he moves methamphetamine for the same individual every two weeks, receiving about $2,000 each time. He told police he has sold the drugs in the Blairsville and Derry areas for 1.5 years.
Stumpf is being held in Indiana County Prison without the possibility of bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in District Judge Robert Steele Bell Sr.’s office.
