A Nesquehoning man faces drug charges after being stopped on Jan. 31 for a traffic violation in Lansford.

Derek Thompson, 21, of 349 W. Catawissa St., was stopped when a police officer noticed his driver's side headlight was out.According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Officer Jason A. Helmer with District Judge Casimir Kosciolek of Lansford, here's what happened:At about 8 that night, Helmer was monitoring traffic at East Patterson and Riley streets when he noticed a car with a headlight out driving east on Patterson Street. He stopped the car, which also had an expired registration sticker. The driver, Thompson, handed him a piece of paper and said, "Here is my insurance, but I have no inspection or registration."Helmer saw that the inspection expired in October, and also that the windshield was cracked. The registration had indeed expired, and was also suspended as of Sept. 9 for lack of insurance.Arrangements were made to have the car towed.Helmer asked Thompson to get out of the car and fill out paperwork. Thompson said he needed a ride to Nesquehoning. Before taking him there, Helmer asked if he had any weapons. Thompson said he did not.Helmer patted him down, and felt a large bulge in his jacket pocket. Thompson told Helmer it was his cell phone and cigarettes.Helmer looked, and saw a silver bowl pipe commonly used to smoke marijuana. The bowl contained a burnt residue that smelled of the drug.Thompson said he had smoked marijuana about two hours earlier. He said he also had a bag of marijuana in his other jacket pocket. Helmer retrieved that bag.He arrested Thompson and took him to the police station, where Thompson opted to not waive his Miranda warnings.