A New York man found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia after a vehicle he was a passenger in was pulled over for speeding in Palmerton has had his charges bound over to Carbon County Court.

Walter Morales, 34, of Yonkers, was scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Wednesday before District Judge William Kissner of Palmerton. Morales never showed up for his hearing, so a hearing was held in his absence.As a result, Morales is scheduled for arraignment for a pretrial status conference at 9 a.m. Feb. 26 in the district attorney's office at the courthouse in Jim Thorpe.Morales faces charges of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Palmerton patrolman Shawn Leadbetter:At 4:20 p.m. Dec. 26, Leadbetter was monitoring traffic in the 600 block of Mauch Chunk Road when he observed a gray Honda sedan traveling west at a high rate of speed.Leadbetter clocked the vehicle at an average speed of 69 mph in a 25 mph zone.A vehicle stop was initiated on the vehicle at the intersection of West Princeton Avenue and Walnut Street.The vehicle was operated by an Alexis Monge-Rivera, 23, of 220 S. Marshall St., Hartford, Connecticut, who was cited for driving while operating privilege is suspended or revoked, and for maximum speed.Passengers in the vehicle were another female who was the front-seat passenger, her juvenile son who was the left-seat passenger, and the defendant, Morales, who was the right-rear passenger.The vehicle was registered to a Mariavi Alvarado, from whom verbal consent to search the vehicle was obtained.Morales, as well as Monge-Rivera, and the front-seat passenger of the vehicle, also consented to a search of the vehicle.A book bag was found on the floor of the rear of the vehicle, which Morales said was his.The book bag was found to contain two scales, rubber bands, and waxen packets commonly used for packaging of controlled substances.The front-seat female passenger gave Leadbetter consent to search her apartment, at which time Leadbetter found in plain view a black fanny pack, 11 bundles of white waxen packets and a plastic baggy containing a brown powder substance, both of which tested positive for heroin.Morales was arrested and placed into custody. Police searched Morales and found he was carrying $4,300 in cash.Morales told police that the packaging materials and the suspected heroin were solely his possession, and that neither of the two front-seat occupants were aware that he possessed these items.