APD: Police Find Drugs in Locked Safe after Traffic Violation Stop
By: Officer George Spindler, APD
Updated: March 20, 2013
Late
Tuesday afternoon at about 5:25 p.m., Officers Matt Allen and Martin
Walker responded
to a disturbance call at a business in the 1600 block of Hwy 351. APD
dispatch received a call from a loss prevention employee and overheard a
disturbance between the employee and a female subject. Officer Walker
arrived to the scene and contacted the involved
parties. His preliminary investigation revealed that an employee had
observed a female suspect concealing items and then failing to pay for
said items when the suspect went through the self-check-out. The
employee confronted the suspect for the alleged theft
of merchandise after the suspect exited the store with said items.
Approximately $178 in stolen merchandise was recovered. A records
check revealed the suspect had two outstanding arrest warrants, one of
which included a probation warrant. A search of the
suspect's purse revealed medications in an envelope for which the
suspect did not possess a prescription. The suspect was arrested for her
two warrants and for two misdemeanor offenses: Possession of a
Dangerous Drug (quetiapine fumarate) and for Theft.
Tuesday
night at about 11:15, Officer Carye Adkins contacted a motorist in
the 1900
block of Pine Street for a traffic violation. Officer Adkins contacted
the male driver and smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the
vehicle. The driver was the sole occupant in the vehicle. The driver
was searched and revealed that he possessed
a small bag of marijuana in his pocket. The driver was arrested for
misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana.
Tuesday
night at about 11:40, Officer David Cox contacted a motorist in
the 3900 block
of S. 14 Street for a traffic violation. A K-9 officer assisted with
the traffic stop. Officer Cox reported that he detected the odor of
marijuana during his initial contact with the male driver and observed
several other occupants in the vehicle. During
this preliminary investigation, the K-9 alerted on the vehicle for the
presence of narcotics. There were three males and one female subject
that were all contacted and identified during the investigation. The
vehicle was searched and revealed small quantities
of marijuana, including burnt remnants, near where each of the occupants
had been seated. Drug paraphernalia was also located inside the
vehicle. The search of the vehicle also located a locked safe for which
the driver possessed a key and an associated purchase
receipt. The safe was opened and revealed the contents: approximately
5.5 grams of a crystal-like substance and approximately 2.3 grams of
crushed pills. The substances tested positive for methamphetamine and
ecstasy, respectively. A stolen handgun was also
located during the search. A records check revealed that three of the
occupants were convicted felons. The male driver was arrested for felony
Possession of a Controlled Substance (methamphetamine), felony
Possession of a Controlled Substance (MDMA), and for
misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana. Passenger #1, a male, was arrested
for two misdemeanor offenses: Possession of Marijuana and Failure to
Identify. Reference the latter charge, further investigation revealed
that this passenger had provided someone else's
identifying information as his own during the investigation. Passenger
#2, a male, was arrested for misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana.
Passenger #3, a female, was arrested for misdemeanor Possession of
Marijuana. A report for Felon in Possession of a Firearm
was taken reference the recovered stolen gun. This investigation
continues.
