A New York man has been charged with possessing a large amount of marijuana following a traffic stop in Lehighton.

Borough patrolman Jason Pryce was patrolling Sgt. Stanley Hoffman Boulevard and Route 209 at 12:05 p.m. March 21, when he saw a black BMW bearing New York registration.

He stopped the car in front of Rite Aid on South First Street because of window tint.

As Pryce approached the vehicle, he could smell a strong odor of marijuana, and while speaking with the driver, Patrick Levchenko, 24, Pryce observed him to be nervous and not wanting to look at him.

Pryce asked Levchenko when was the last time he smoked marijuana, and he said he did the night before. Pryce then asked Levchenko if there was any marijuana in the vehicle and he said there was.

Levchenko handed him three zip-lock baggies from a little compartment from under the steering wheel each with marijuana inside them.

Levchenko also had a handgun, a Glock look-a-like that shoots metal balls.

Police found 86.8 grams of marijuana, multiple baggies of paraphernalia, a grinder, wrapping papers, and a rolling tray in the vehicle, and marijuana in the driver’s door, center console, and trunk of the vehicle.

Broyles put Levchenko through tests where he determined that Levchenko was impaired. Levchenko consented to a blood draw and was transported to St. Luke’s Carbon Campus.

Levchenko faces charges of unlawful delivery or manufacture of a controlled substance; make repairs/sell/etc. offensive weapons; unlawful possession of controlled substance; possession of drug paraphernalia; DUI, controlled substance; and unlawful activities.

Levchenko is currently free in lieu of $100,000 unsecured bail, and scheduled to have a preliminary hearing April 12 before District Judge Eric M. Schrantz of Jim Thorpe.