Drug charges follow an early morning traffic stop

drug-charges-follow-an-early-morning-traffic-stop

Two people were arrested Friday after a traffic stop was conducted by officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office in North Judson.

Just after 2:30 a.m., Starke County Sheriff’s Deputy Patrick McKee, who is assigned to the Strategic Response Team, was traveling eastbound on Talmer Avenue when he observed a vehicle directly in front of him with an inoperable taillight. He also observed that the vehicles exhaust system was altered and loud. After observing the violations, the deputy  activated his emergency lights and stopped the vehicle.

North Judson Police Officer Derek Russell arrived on scene for further assistance. Deputy McKee approached the vehicle and identified the driver as Ladonna Bradley and the passenger as Bethany Clary. He then asked all the subjects inside the vehicle to step out after witnessing one of the passengers attempting to place something inside her purse. Deputy McKee then deployed his K9 partner Robby for a free air sniff around the vehicle. K9 Robby positively alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics inside the vehicle. The deputy then conducted a search of the vehicle and located a brown purse on the floor in the back seat. Inside the purse he located a large clear bag that contained a crystal-like substance. The residue field tested positive for methamphetamine.

Both subjects were then placed in handcuffs and transported to the Starke County Justice Center. While at the Justice Center, officers located a clear bag in the back seat of the police vehicle where Ladonna Bradley was seated which contained a crystal-like substance. She stated she had removed the bag and a torch lighter from her sock. The bag located inside the North Judson officer’s vehicle field tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine with a total weight of 6.41 grams.

Bethany Clary admitted to officers she had methamphetamine, a glass pipe, and marijuana seeds inside her bra. After admitting that to officers, her handcuffs were removed and she was allowed to remove the items. She then removed a clear bag containing a white crystal-like substance that field tested positive for the presence of methamphetamines with a total weight of 4.15 grams. She also removed a glass pipe that contained a white residue that field tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.

Ladonna and Bethany were both booked in the jail on preliminary charges of:

Possession of Methamphetamine - Level 5 Felony

Possession of Methamphetamine - Level 6 Felony

Obstruction of Justice - Level 6 Felony

Possession of Paraphernalia - A Misdemeanor

Possession of Marijuana - A Misdemeanor

Formal charges will be determined by the Starke County Prosecutor’s Office.