Nazareth Hit-and-Run Leads to Drug Charges

A Nazareth man was found in possession of $625 -- or two ounces -- worth of marijuana after he was stopped for allegedly hitting a street sign in the borough and then fleeing the accident. A piece of the car’s bumper was left behind, according to police.

Richard Long Jr., 20, of 12 West Street, was arraigned before night duty District Judge Richard H. Yetter III on Wednesday and charged with manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to deliver -- a felony -- institutional vandalism, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

He is free on $10,000 unsecured bail.

According to a police criminal complaint:

Officer Peter Dewey, who is no longer with the , was dispatched for a hit-and-run last fall. At the intersection of N. Liberty and Moravian streets, Dewey located a sign that had been hit and a part of a bumper to a Honda sedan.

Jake Carrick, an officer with , spotted a blue 1994 Honda sedan that matched the description given by Dewey and conducted a traffic stop at the  on Route 191.

Dewey responded and was able to match the bumper piece found near the sign to the vehicle, which was being driven by Long.

After consenting to a field sobriety test, it was determined that Long was under the influence of a controlled substance and/or alcohol. 

Long was taken into custody, and Dewey contacted the vehicle’s owner, who was not identified, for permission to conduct a search.

Dewey found two bags of suspected marijuana, $135 in cash, a scale and plastic bags.

Long was transported to the Northampton County DUI Center in Easton where he consented to a blood test. After the test, he was transported back to police headquarters.

During an interview, Long admitted to purchasing two ounces of marijuana for $625 while in Philadelphia earlier in the day.

The drugs were sent to Pennsylvania State Police at Bethlehem to be analyzed. The green vegetable matter was determined to be marijuana.

Officer Daniel Troxell is now handling the case. It was not clear in the criminal complaint why charges were filed six months after the incident.

A call to Nazareth police was forwarded to the county's non-emergency number.