OBSERVER Staff Report

SHERIDAN — A Sinclairville man is behind bars after being pulled over Thursday evening on an outstanding warrant and 20 grams of methampthetamine were found in his vehicle.

Chautauqua County sheriff’s deputies report the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, and the Village of Fredonia Police Department located Benjamin M. Gray, while he was operating a vehicle, around 8 p.m. and arrested him on an outstanding arrest warrant that had been issued earlier by the Fredonia Village Court.

The arrest warrant charges one count each of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.

The warrant is based on a months-long investigation by the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force and the village of Fredonia Police Department. It is alleged by the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force that Gray sold quantities of crystal methamphetamine to an agent of the Drug Task Force within the village of Fredonia.

After Gray was in custody it was determined that there was an additional outstanding felony warrant from the Town of Belmont Court in Allegany County charging one count of second-degree burglary. After arraignment, Gray was sent to the Chautauqua County Jail without bail pending further action by the court. The warrant from the town of Belmont will be placed as a detainer against Gray with the Chautauqua County Jail.

Additionally, a search warrant was obtained for the vehicle that Gray was operating. As a result of the warrant the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force seized more than 20 grams of meth along with scales and packaging materials for the processing and sale of narcotics. There will be multiple additional felony charges placed against Gray at a later date.