Big Island man, 47, found sleeping in car parked in middle of road faces drug charges
May 12—A 47-year-old Volcano man found sleeping in a vehicle parked in the middle of a roadway, blocking traffic in Puna allegedly had small packets of methamphetamine in his possession.
Lawrence K. Castro is scheduled to appear at his preliminary hearing in court today on five drug-related charges. He is being held at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $95, 000 bail.
Police responded to a call of a white sedan parked in the middle of the roadway, blocking traffic on Lehua Street at the Fern Acres subdivision with a man identified as Castro sleeping in the driver's seat just after 6 :35 a.m. Friday.
After officers arrested him for an outstanding bench warrant, police found in his pant pocket a cigarette box with two small zip packets inside that contained white crystalline-like substances, police said in court documents. A drug pipe on the driver's seat and two small zip packets inside a backpack was also recovered from the vehicle.
Police said test results of the white substances inside the zip packets "tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine."
Castro has a criminal history that include three felony convictions for assault, terroristic threatening and promoting a dangerous drug and four misdemeanor convictions for abuse of a family or household member.
