A routine traffic stop near Oakland Square Park resulted in the arrest of a passenger for drug possession on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
At approximately 1:45 p.m., an officer observed a dark-colored Hyundai fail to signal a turn from Pearce Avenue onto Oakland Square and then stop past the designated stop bar at West Brown Avenue and north Main Street. The vehicle was stopped on north Main Street, north of Williams Avenue.
The driver, a woman, was informed of the reasons for the stop and asked for her license, registration and insurance. During the interaction, the male passenger, identified as Jonathan Harber, 45, of Kenton, displayed visibly shaky hands and was not wearing a seatbelt. A black bookbag was also observed on the floorboard between Harber’s leg and the center console.
A records check revealed Harber had an active pickup warrant and a history of drug abuse. Both occupants were asked to exit the vehicle. Harber initially resisted leaving the bookbag inside the car but eventually complied.
K9 Pyro conducted a vehicle sniff and alerted officers to the presence of narcotics near the passenger side door. A search of the vehicle uncovered a plastic bag containing 40 Oxycodone pills in the black bookbag within Harber’s reach.
Harber was detained and charged with possession of a Schedule I drug. No additional contraband was found during a search of the vehicle or Harber’s person. He was transported to the Logan County Jail.
