A traffic stop made in Tamaqua as part of an aggressive driving campaign resulted in the arrest of a Philadelphia man on March 23.

King was driving a blue Toyota Corolla on Route 309, south of Tamaqua, at 1:45 p.m. when the officer caught him traveling 63.6 mph in a posted 45 zone.

King didn’t have a driver’s license and a records check indicated his license had been suspended.

He was cited for speeding and for driving with a suspended license and the Corolla was towed.

While doing an inventory of the car before the tow truck arrived the officer found a loaded .40 caliber Glock 23 handgun in the center console. King was handcuffed and searched. A bag with a small amount of marijuana was found in his right front pocket and a grinder was taken from the center console.

A records check found a felony conviction for King for a March 2006 robbery.

King was arraigned before on-call District Judge James Reiley, of Pottsville, on charges of possession of a prohibited firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, carrying a loaded weapon, speeding and driving without a license.

The judge set bail at $20,000 straight cash, which King was unable to post.

He was taken to the county prison in Pottsville.