POPLARVILLE —
Three drivers who were stopped initially for not wearing their seatbelts by Picayune police officers also found themselves facing drug charges.
The first of the three stops occurred on Tuesday just after noon when an officer saw a driver who was not wearing a seat belt, said Deputy Chief Chad Dorn.
Officers conducted a stop and found 29-year-old Tony A. Mitchell of 206 W. Sycamore behind the wheel. A check of his records found his driver’s license had been suspended and Mitchell also could not provide proof of insurance, Dorn said.
Mitchell was asked to get out of the vehicle and as he did so the officer observed a small, rectangular pill on his seat, the deputy chief said. Dorn said the pill was recovered and determined to be Methadone. Mitchell was charged with possession of a controlled substance and cited for no insurance, the seat belt violation and driving while license suspended, Dorn said.
On Thursday, officers patrolling South Curran Avenue at about 12:45 p.m. saw a Pontiac GT speeding down the road and again the driver was not wearing his seat belt, the deputy chief said. Dorn said the vehicle then proceeded to run two stop signs, prompting the officer to conduct a stop. The driver was identified as 20-year-old Paul Janet of 2205 Trotter St., the deputy chief said.
Dorn said the status of Janet’s driver’s license and insurance was checked, and as the officer went back to his patrol vehicle to write up the traffic violations, he saw Janet leave his vehicle and walk to the front of it. Dorn said the officer repeatedly directed Janet to return to his vehicle, but the suspect refused, going so far as to curse at the officer, Dorn said.
Backup was called and after a brief struggle Janet was then taken into custody for disorderly conduct, Dorn said. A search of his vehicle was conducted where officers found a small amount of marijuana wrapped in a piece of paper, Dorn said.
Janet was charged with resisting arrest by fighting, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle, noise violation, careless driving, disorderly conduct, seat belt violation, public profanity and running two stop signs, Dorn said. It is not known why Janet went to the front of his vehicle during the stop, Dorn said.
Just before 3 p.m. Thursday, a patrol officer observed the driver of Ford Explorer traveling near Rosa Street and Bogan circle, and once again the driver was not wearing his seat belt, the deputy chief said. Dorn said a stop was conducted where the officer came into contact with 41-year-old Timothy D. Merrill of 706 Burley St., who had a suspended driver’s license for failure to pay fines, Dorn said.
Merrill was asked to exit the vehicle and a pat down of his person found two 10-gram bags of synthetic marijuana in his front left pocket, Dorn said. As the officer asked Merrill to place his hands behind his back Merrill resisted, broke away form the officer and fled to a nearby apartment complex, the deputy chief said. Dorn said officers gave chase, and once they found him, another brief struggle ensued before Merrill was taken into custody.
Officers escorted Merrill back to the scene of the traffic stop where another search of his person found two more 10 gram bags of synthetic marijuana in his rear left pocket, Dorn said. Merrill was transported to the city jail where, before being booked in, he was asked if he had any other contraband him, to which he replied “no”, Dorn said.
Another search of his person prior to being placed in a cell found a clear plastic baggy containing marijuana, Dorn said. A search of Merrill’s vehicle discovered 15 burned, hand-rolled cigarettes. Dorn said Merrill was ultimately charged with felony possession of a controlled substance (for the possession of more than an ounce marijuana), felony possession of a controlled substance in a jail facility, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle, resisting arrest by fighting, resisting arrest by fleeing, and disorderly conduct failure to comply.
Local News
Traffic stops lead to three drug related charges
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