YOUNGSTOWN — Joseph J. Pignatelli, 53, of West Evergreen Avenue was arraigned Friday in municipal court on tampering with evidence and drug possession after police say he swallowed a bag of drugs.

Police said they saw a vehicle on West Evergreen Avenue on the South Side without a working license plate light and made a traffic stop. An officer ordered Pignatelli out of the vehicle and saw a ripped piece of a bag consistent with drugs on the floor of the car.

An officer then asked him to open his mouth and saw what appeared to be part of a bag in the back of his mouth. Pignatelli then told an officer he had swallowed crack cocaine, which resulted in the tampering charge. Police also found a suspected crack rock on the floor of the car, resulting in the drug possession charge.

At his arraignment, Pignatelli was released on a personal recognizance bond, meaning he didn’t have to pay anything.