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A North Carolina resident will serve time in a Pennsylvania state prison after authorities found a significant quantity of methamphetamine in his vehicle outside a Wawa in Horsham Township, according to a report.
Ronald Alan Harden, 56, of Graham, N.C., was sentenced to 18 to 36 months in a state correctional facility by Montgomery County Judge Risa Vetri Ferman. He had pleaded guilty to a felony count of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, specifically between 100 and 1,000 grams, stemming from an April 2023 incident.
The case unfolded in the early morning hours of April 6, 2023, when a Horsham Township police officer discovered Harden asleep in a running Toyota SUV parked outside the convenience store on the 100 block of Easton Road. According to the criminal complaint, Officer Andrew D’Arcy approached the vehicle after noticing Harden appeared disoriented, with slurred speech and signs of drug impairment.
Harden failed a field sobriety test, and although a breath test showed no alcohol in his system, officers suspected drug use. A search of Harden’s person turned up a glass vial containing a white powder, which he admitted was methamphetamine. He then informed police there were additional narcotics in his backpack.
Upon searching the vehicle — with Harden’s consent — police recovered approximately 320 grams of meth, digital scales, grinders, drug paraphernalia, empty capsules, and substances believed to be GHB and Xanax.
While Harden was initially charged with several offenses, including possession of controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, and public intoxication, those charges were dismissed at sentencing in favor of the felony drug trafficking plea.
