Deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office report three defendants were charged Monday evening with felony possession of drugs as a result of a traffic stop conducted in the city of Bellefontaine.
Driver John Gariety, 24, and passengers Peighton Wagoner, 24, and Thomas Santiago, 25, each were lodged in the Logan County Jail about 11:20 p.m. Their addresses were unavailable at press time.
Deputies working a traffic detail observed the suspect vehicle fail to yield at the stop light at Main Street and Sandusky Avenue in the city and initiated the stop at Sandusky Avenue and Madriver Street.
Deputies spoke with the driver and Wagoner also was identified as the owner of the vehicle. After issuing a citation for the traffic violation, Gariety was free to leave.
However, deputies were informed by dispatchers that the male passenger, Santiago, had a Union County warrant for his arrest. The vehicle was again stopped in the area of Sandusky Avenue and Park Street.
While speaking with the occupants again, deputies observed an odor of marijuana and a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted. Deputies seized several hundred dollars in cash, bulk amount of suspected methamphetamine, several baggies of marijuana, two cellular phones and several paraphernalia items.
The defendants were placed under arrest. Additional charges are pending.
Driver cited in T.R. 30 crash
Donald E. Purtee, 40, of DeGraff, was cited for failure to control related to a crash early this morning on Township Road 30.
Deputies report he was operating a westbound pickup near Township Road 187 about 3:50 a.m. when he swerved to miss a deer in the road. He then traveled off the right side of the road into ditch, up onto a driveway and then back into the ditch again.
The pickup sustained damage to the right front axle and fender.