This article was originally published on GoErie.com by Tim Hahn on April 19, 2018

An Erie man charged in a city police drug investigation that stemmed from complaints about suspected drug activity at the Liberty Plaza during the fall waived a felony charge to court under an agreement reached with prosecutors on Thursday.

Jonathan W. James, 40, waived his preliminary hearing before Erie 6th Ward District Judge Timothy Beveridge Thursday morning on a felony count of possession with intent to deliver under an agreement in which misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia were withdrawn, Erie County Assistant District Attorney Grant Miller said.

James remains in the Erie County Prison on $125,000 bond.

The charges were filed on Dec. 20 following an investigation by the Erie Bureau of Police Drug & Vice Unit that was launched after police began receiving complaints about suspected drug activity at the Liberty Plaza, investigators said. Information developed in the investigation led detectives to serve a search warrant on Oct. 4 on a residence in the 900 block of West 36th Street, where investigators said they found two baggies containing an estimated 12.5 grams of suspected heroin.

Testing on the suspected drugs determined that police had seized a little more than 10 grams of fentanyl, investigators said Thursday.