A Lancaster man who fled police then fought with officers who found 780 Xanax pills will spend up to 5 years in state prison.
Ian J. Stewart, 20, was recently sentenced in Lancaster County Court in accordance with a plea agreement arranged by Assistant District Attorney Travis S. Anderson.
Stewart will serve 1.5 to 5 years in state prison, followed by 3 years of probation, in exchange for his guilty pleas to: aggravated assault (2 counts), drug-dealing, resisting arrest, tampering with evidence, drug paraphernalia, and a summary count of disorderly conduct.
Manheim Township police Officer Kyle Carner, who filed charges, outlined the case this way:
On April 21, 2015, Officers approached a vehicle that was stopped in the 2400 block of Fruitville Pike.
Stewart, a passenger, said the car was out of gas.
Offficers noticed, inside the car, were tablets of what appeared to be prescription medication, marijuana seeds, a marijuana grinder, and a strong odor of marijuana.
The driver, Luke Lantz, told police he had marijuana in a backpack, which he gave police permission to search.
While searching the rest of the car, police found 780 Xanax tablets (inside a backpack), a glass bong and other drug paraphernalia.
Stewart grabbed the backpack and ran away. Police caught up and Stewart kicked an officer. While handcuffed inside the cruiser, Stewart tried to break a window with kicks.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright