Trio of traffic stops yield drug seizures
Staff writer
Three traffic stops in five nights by Hillsboro officer John Huebert resulted in seizures of illicit drugs.
A vape pipe, 0.2 of a gram of marijuana, and a grinder were discovered at 11:09 p.m. June 11 after Huebert stopped a 2005 Kia Rio in a parking lot at Casey’s General Store for speeding and having a defective taillight.
Smelling what he reported to be raw marijuana in the vehicle, Huebert searched the car and discovered a plastic bag containing green vegetation, a hand grinder containing green vegetative residue, a vape pen, and an opened 50-milliliter bottle of a 49.5% alcoholic drink.
The pen and the vegetation tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
Police recommended to county attorney Joel Ensey that a 22-year-old Hillsboro resident be charged with possession of THC, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia and with transporting an open container of alcohol, speeding, and having a defective license plate light.
Three days later, Huebert seized vape pens and 10 grams of THC oil — enough to fill five to 10 vape cartridges —at 1:28 a.m. Saturday after he stopped a 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 at 3rd and Jefferson Sts. for illegally having riders in the bed of the pickup.
Deputy Joshua Meliza and his drug dog, Karma, were called. Karma reacted as if drugs were present, and a subsequent search found a vape pen and a 50-milliliter open container of 47% alcohol in the truck and another vape pen with a passenger in the truck bed. Both pens reportedly tested positive for THC.
Police recommended that Ensey charge a 21-year-old Lincolnville man with possession of THC and drug paraphernalia, transporting an open container of alcohol, having a defective vehicle mirror, and allowing a rider in the truck bed.
Also recommended was charging a 25-year-old Marion man with possession of THC and drug paraphernalia, failure to wear a seatbelt, and illegal riding in a truck bed.
The next night, Huebert seized vape pens, a gram of marijuana, 32 THC edibles, and a marijuana derivative “dab” at 7:55 p.m. Saturday after he stopped a 2002 Pontiac Firebird in the Birchwood Apartments parking lot for speeding and running a stop sign.
Karma again was called and again reacted as if drugs were present. A subsequent search found gummies in a container indicating that they contained THC, two smoking pipes containing burnt vegetation, a pill grinder with ground green vegetation, a tiny jar of tacky resin, a glass stem containing similar tacky resin, and a container of ground green vegetation. Samples tested positive for THC.
Huebert recommended that Ensey charge a 43-year-old Durham woman with possession of THC, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia along with speeding and running a stop sign.