Armstrong County man faces drug charges after police pursuit in Springdale Township

An Armstrong County man faces felony drug charges after a state trooper said suspected fentanyl tablets fell out of his shorts during a traffic stop in July 2021.

Braden Taylor Stevenson, 23, of the 100 block of Brady’s Bend Cemetery Road in Brady’s Bend Township, was charged with two felony counts of possession of drugs with the intent to deliver, two counts of drug possession and driving with a suspended license.

He also was issued traffic citations for careless and reckless driving and for having window tint that was too dark, which initiated the traffic stop, according to a criminal complaint.

Stevenson was being detained in the Allegheny County Jail in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond, according to court records.

He faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge David Sosovicka on Aug. 28.

A trooper wrote in the criminal complaint that he was on patrol near the Pittsburgh Mills mall exit on northbound Route 28 when he spotted a Volkswagen Jetta with “blacked-out window tint.”

The complaint did not specify what percentage of the windows were tinted, but the law requires a minimum of 70% of the light to pass through a vehicle’s window, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

Stevenson is accused of taking off at a high rate of speed when he saw the trooper and leading him on a pursuit along winding, rain-covered roads at speeds exceeding 80 mph, the complaint said.

The chase ended when the trooper caught up to Stevenson at a stop sign along Tawney Run Road in Springdale Township, the complaint said.

Police said 19 suspected fentanyl tablets fell out of Stevenson’s shorts when he got out of his car.

The trooper said Stevenson also admitted to giving the female passenger in his car 72 packets filled with a mixture of heroin and fentanyl for her to “stuff” or hide.

The woman gave the trooper the packets along with a baggie of crack cocaine and a wooden stamper used to label the stamp bags for sale. A second stamper and an ink pad also were found in the car, police said.

Faces slew of charges in Armstrong

Court records show Stevenson is awaiting trial in Armstrong County on four felony aggravated assault charges as well as felony counts of illegal possession of a firearm and theft.

He also faces a dozen misdemeanor charges. which include multiple counts of making terroristic threats, simple assault, reckless endangerment, harassment, disorderly conduct, DUI and driving without a license

The charges were filed April 4 by state police at their Kittanning station.

In December, troopers from the same station charged Stevenson with eight felony counts that include burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief, along with counts of drug possession and criminal trespass.

He is awaiting trial on the charges in Armstrong County.