Two men working at a home on Friedensville Road in Lower Saucon Township were taken into custody Saturday afternoon, after police say they were found to be wanted by authorities on active warrants.
One of the men is a convicted felon who served time in state prison for a 2007 Northampton County robbery committed at gunpoint, according to court records.
The arrest of the men came after police conducted a traffic stop in the driveway of the home for a vehicle code violation, according to a news release.
Police said it was then discovered that Michael Daniel Gardner, 35, of the 3500 block of N. Dogwood Avenue, Danielsville, was wanted on an active warrant from the Pennsylvania State Parole Board.
“Michael was taken into custody and it was learned that he was in possession of a large number of empty wax packets, syringes, marijuana and a crack cocaine smoking device,” police said. “There was also a game trail camera inside the vehicle that was reported stolen from a nearby property in the past October,” they added.
As officers were conducting their investigation of Gardner, police said other workers came out of the home and were also identified.
One of the other workers was identified as Jonathan Estrada, 32, of the 300 block of N. Law Street, Allentown, who police say was found to be wanted by the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department in New Jersey.
Police said both Gardner and Estrada were committed to Northampton County Prison on their active warrants.
Gardner was also lodged on new charges of receiving stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a small amount of marijuana, according to magisterial court records.
Gardner’s bail was set at $20,000 and he remains in jail, according to the records.
According to Northampton County Criminal Court of Common Pleas records, in November 2007 Gardner pleaded guilty to first-degree felony robbery, and the following month was sentenced by Judge Paula A. Roscioli to serve five to 10 years in state prison. Upon his parole Gardner was required to “participate in drug treatment,” the records state.
A Dec. 16, 2007 Morning Call article states Gardner was convicted and sentenced to prison for robbing Miller’s Market on Blue Mountain Drive in Lehigh Township on March 25, 2007.
Gardner was purchasing cigarettes when he pulled out a revolver, pointed it at the store’s female owner and demanded money, according to the article.
He has a lengthy criminal record, and pleaded guilty in early 2016 of third degree misdemeanor theft and driving an unregistered vehicle according to online records.