From staff reports
Oil City police have arrested a man who is accused of trading an air rifle for methamphetamine.
Police said Steven M. Spence, 50, of Oil City, was arrested at about 9 a.m. Sunday at a residence at the corner of Central Avenue and Third Street. He was arrested on a warrant for conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance.
The charges stem an incident last week that led to the arrest of Robert Boyer, 42, of Oil City.
Police said that on Jan. 2, they received information of Spence delivering a firearm to Boyer’s Walnut Street home when Boyer was known to be prohibited from possessing firearms.
Police arrived the next day to execute a search warrant and found Boyer leaving the home in the passenger seat of a car.
Police said that during a traffic stop, the driver told them Spence had traded an air rifle to Boyer for methamphetamine.
Boyer was taken into custody and taken to the Oil City police station, where he made unsolicited statements about drugs and drug-related items in his house, according to police.
After obtaining a search warrant, officers returned to the Walnut Street home and found an air rifle, syringes, scales and a small amount of crystal methamphetamine.
Both Boyer and Spence are awaiting preliminary hearings that are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Venango County Central Court.
