Man charged with child endangerment in Centre County

A man was charged Friday in a case that included driving, drugs and an infant in the vehicle.

A state trooper noticed a vehicle at about 11 p.m. June 21 traveling on South Main Street toward Pleasant Gap. The driver’s side brake light did not illuminate as the vehicle navigated a bend, and the trooper followed the vehicle into Pleasant Gap and east on East College Avenue to make a traffic stop.

The trooper observed an odor consistent with marijuana emanating from the vehicle and noticed the driver had droopy eyes, according to the affidavit. Samuel Scott Smith, 37, of Reedsville, identified himself as the driver and the passengers as his girlfriend and their 19-month-old daughter.

The adults in the vehicle allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana before traveling, and the trooper asked Smith to perform sobriety tests, according to the affidavit. The trooper determined that Smith did not pass the test and he was arrested and sent to Mount Nittany Medical Center for blood tests.

Blood tests revealed that Smith had marijuana in his system.

Smith was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of a controlled substance, misdemeanor driving under the influence of a metabolite, misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child and no rear lights, a summary offense.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 20.

This story was originally published August 13, 2017 at 9:52 PM with the headline "Man charged with child endangerment in Centre County."