Allegheny Township police: Man faces drug, gun charges after being detained at DUI checkpoint for expired registration

A Pittsburgh man faces drug and gun charges after Allegheny Township police said they found marijuana, cocaine and a loaded pistol when he was detained at a sobriety checkpoint for an expired registration.

Larinzo Lamar Johnson, 21, of the 1300 block of Diana Street, North Side was charged with felony counts of possession of drugs with the intent to deliver, illegal possession of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license and seven misdemeanor drug charges.

He also was issued traffic citations accusing him of driving with a suspended license and having an expired registration and vehicle inspection.

Johnson was being detained in Westmoreland County jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bond of which he must post 10% in bail to be released, according to court records.

He faces a preliminary hearing on the charges before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec on Oct. 25.

An Allegheny Township officer wrote in the criminal complaint charging Johnson that officers from several departments were working a sobriety checkpoint along Route 56 and the McCutcheon Shortcut near Sweetie’s Ice Cream shop Aug. 19 when a 2015 Dodge Charger was detained for having an expired registration.

While directing the driver to pull into an area known as “the pit,” where detained vehicles are gathered, an officer spotted a knotted plastic baggie in the center cup holder that the driver tried to conceal in the waistband of his sweatpants, the complaint said.

When an officer told Johnson he saw him move the baggie from the cup holder, Johnson responded: “That was the weed” and pointed to a plastic bag in the storage compartment of the driver’s door, the complaint said.

The officer said the bag he saw Johnson transfer from the cup holder to his waistband was smaller than the one in the door, police said. Another officer working the detail found the bag of suspected crack cocaine after lifting up Johnson’s shirt, the complaint said.

Police also found $640 in cash when they searched Johnson, who told them there was a firearm in the glove compartment that belonged to his girlfriend, the complaint said.

A Smith & Wesson handgun with one round in the chamber was found in the glove box after Johnson gave police permission for it to be retrieved, according to the complaint.

Johnson also gave police permission to retrieve his identification from the center console, where they said they found his wallet along with a loaded magazine for the handgun and a plastic container used to package marijuana for sale, the complaint said.

The vehicle was impounded, and a search warrant was executed Aug. 24, police said.

Investigators said the plastic container was under Johnson’s wallet and contained 106 stamp bags of suspected heroin.

Johnson is not permitted to possess a firearm because of previous felony convictions, authorities said.

Court records show Johnson pleaded guilty Oct. 5 to felony drug and gun charges filed by Pittsburgh police in February 2021. He was sentenced to four years of probation, including one year of electronic monitoring.

The next say, Johnson pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge filed by Pittsburgh police in July 2021 and was sentenced to two years of probation, court records show.