When state police stopped a Scranton man driving erratically on New Year’s Eve for a traffic violation, he indicated that he was a sovereign citizen and refused to provide information, according to a criminal complaint.
Kevin Zelna, 37, of 26 Fawnwood Drive, faces a multiple charges, including driving under the influence of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and possessing forged documents.
A passenger in his vehicle had a plastic bottle containing methamphetamine and a glass pipe, troopers said. Police did not identify the passenger.
According to the criminal complaint, at about 8:15 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, troopers noticed Zelna northbound on Route 507 in Greene Twp., without a valid registration.
As troopers followed the vehicle, they noted that the driver left his lane of traffic multiple times. When troopers activated their lights in an effort to stop Zelna, he originally failed to stop and troopers could see him reaching over to the glove compartment.
Zelna eventually did stop and troopers approached him in the driver’s seat.
When asked for his license, registration and proof of insurance, Zelna refused to provide the information and said he was “traveling” and the information was listed on a “trust.” Troopers noted those terms are commonly associated with a sovereign citizen, associated with a group opposed to government.
Zelna, police said, had bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils and smelled of alcohol.
Another state police vehicle responded to the scene to block Zelna in, preventing him from leaving. Troopers again requested Zelna’s vehicle information and he refused to provide it.
When Trooper Kody Nowicki attempted to remove Zelna from the vehicle, Zelna pulled away.
“Ultimately I had to utilize necessary physical force to remove the operator,” Nowicki wrote in the complaint. Zelna continued to resist and troopers ultimately took him to the ground, where he continued to resist, but was ultimately taken into custody.
The passenger told officers Zelna had placed items in his wallet. A search of the wallet yielded a small plastic bottle containing methamphetamine and a smoking pipe.
Troopers noted inspection and emission stickers on the vehicle were fraudulent.
Zelna was transported to the Blooming Grove barracks where he again refused to provide identifying documents and continued to speak as if he was a sovereign citizen.
Zelna is also charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released on $10,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Jan. 13 before District Judge Cristin J. Cavallaro.