Pittsburg: Man avoids jail for driving meth-filled car into ditch in front of cops

OAKLAND — A man has avoided jail after crashing a car containing a large bag of methamphetamine and then telling the cops he and his buddies planned to smoke it — but not sell it, court records show.

Levar Gaulding, 46, was sentenced to time served at an April federal court hearing, after pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine for distribution. His attorney, in court filings, said the case led his client to turn over a new leaf in life.

Gaulding joined a sobriety program while on pretrial release, gained employment and is now a family man, the court documents say.

“Mr. Gaulding is motivated to continue to serve his community. Mr. Gaulding would like to become a chef and he is scheduled to go to a three-month culinary arts education program through the Salvation Army, which starts in July 2025,” the defense sentencing memo says.

Prosecutors agreed that Gaulding shouldn’t go to jail, a stark turnaround from the start of the case, when Gaulding was hit with charges that carry a mandatory minimum five-year prison term.

The case stems from 2022, when Pittsburg police and Contra Costa Sheriff’s deputies were minding their own business and sitting in patrol cars. Gaulding drove by, rolled over a curb, and crashed into a ditch, authorities said. When the cops got over their disbelief, they searched the car and found a one-pound bag of methamphetamine, though prosecutors concede it had been diluted by about 25 percent with a cutting agent.

Gaulding denied the drugs were for sale, telling police he and his friends would use the methamphetamine, according to the criminal complaint.

“Thankfully, Mr. Gaulding has been able to move towards the next chapter of his life, in large part because of the assistance he has received from this court and the (sobriety program),” Assistant Federal Public Defender Joyce Leavitt, who represented Gaulding, wrote in court records.