Timothy John Dubla, 56, Little Falls, was convicted Oct. 30 with one felony count of fifth-degree possession of methamphetamine.
According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 30 at 1:56 a.m., law enforcement observed a vehicle swerving across the centerline and fog line.
An officer conducted a traffic stop of the suspect vehicle and contacted the driver, identified as Dubla. A gun was observed in plain sight inside the vehicle, at which point Dubla was asked to show his hands and exit the vehicle while the weapon was secured. It was determined that the gun was an airsoft, although it did not have an orange tip and was completely black.
Dubla was handcuffed for officer safety.
Dubla allegedly appeared to be nervous and fidgety and officers suspected he was under the influence of some sort of narcotic. Consent to search the vehicle was requested and granted and Dubla allegedly said he had needles in the vehicles, but if there was anything illegal, it did not belong to him.
A bag of disposable pill capsules was found inside the vehicle, and Dubla said he didn’t know who they belonged to.
Officers were releasing Dubla from handcuffs when they observed a strange object in Dubla’s shirt pocket. The item was removed and found to be a methamphetamine pipe containing residue which field-tested positive for meth. Dubla allegedly admitted he had smoked meth that morning.
Dubla’s criminal record shows a previous conviction for two counts of controlled substance crime related to an incident in 1990.
If convicted, Dubla faces up to 10 years in prison and/or $20,000 in fines as well as 180 days in jail.