An Indiana man with a criminal history was arrested for felony drug and weapon offenses after a 7:55 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, traffic stop for speeding on U.S. Route 33 near County Road 89 in Lakeview.
A Logan County Sheriff deputy observed Russell L. McCoy, 51, driving a westbound vehicle 62 mph in a 55 mph zone of U.S. 33 near County Road 92 before passing the deputy’s parked vehicle. The deputy’s turned his vehicle around to pursue the suspect vehicle and clocked it again, recording a speed of 76 mph.
Upon initiating the stop, after what the deputy reported as some tactics to delay pulling over by the suspect, McCoy told the deputy he was in possession of marijuana. The deputy noted an odor of burnt marijuana coming from McCoy’s vehicle and the suspect gave deputies a Ziplock baggie containing the drug.
McCoy told deputies he was en route from Columbus to Indiana traveling with a dog in the rental vehicle. The suspect reportedly stated he was “petrified” because he only had an Indiana state identification card and not a valid driver’s license.
The suspect could not produce a rental agreement for the vehicle.
A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded a shopping bag containing prescription pill bottles with labels removed containing about 100 various pills, two baggies containing suspected methamphetamine, a glass pipe for smoking the drug, a loaded .380-caliber handgun and an unloaded 9mm handgun. Ammunition and magazines for the weapons were also discovered.
During the vehicle search, the suspect was overhead by deputies saying he had “speed” — the street term for methamphetamine— on a cell phone call to an unidentified person.
McCoy told deputes some of the pills they found were Gabapentin and some were for “male enhancement.”
He was arrested for aggravated possession of drugs and transported to the Logan County Jail.
En route to the jail, McCoy provided contradictory statements to deputies concerning the guns saying they were going to someone else, despite saying he did not know anything about them earlier. He also reportedly admitted he is a drug “addict” and that the bags of suspected methamphetamine found belonged to him.
The suspect vehicle was towed from the scene and impounded. The dog was placed in the jail’s kennel.
Presumptive testing preformed on the suspected methamphetamine at the jail indicated a positive result.
A records search revealed the suspect had been convicted previously for robbery and possession of methamphetamine and served prison time for those offenses.
Additional charges of having weapons under disability and improper handling firearms in a motor vehicle are pending.
