Angela Nicol, 54, of Bellefontaine, was arrested Saturday evening on charges of possession of crack cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop on South Main Street.
An officer of the Bellefontaine Police Department on patrol observed a dark-colored Jeep traveling southbound on Main Street without working license plate lights. The vehicle was pulled over near the Wendy’s parking lot for the equipment violation.
During the traffic stop, Nicol, the sole occupant and registered owner of the Jeep, appeared visibly nervous, with shaky hands. When questioned, she admitted to having a history of arrests and being a recovering drug addict. Nicol denied having anything illegal in the vehicle but became defensive when asked about it further.
Officer Stollar arrived to assist and issued a written warning for the equipment violation. Nicol was then asked to exit the vehicle while K9 Pyro performed an open-air sniff. The K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics near the driver’s door, prompting a probable cause search of the vehicle.
Officers discovered multiple pieces of suspected crack cocaine on the driver’s seat. Nicol admitted to using crack cocaine within the past three days and later revealed she was carrying approximately one gram of crack cocaine and a crack pipe on her person.
Additional searches uncovered a pipe in Nicol’s purse and another crack pipe in the vehicle’s center console. All items were within Nicol’s reach and control.
Nicol was arrested, transported to the Logan County Jail, and charged with possession of crack cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her vehicle was secured and left in the Wendy’s parking lot.