A traffic stop for equipment malfunction on a vehicle turned into the discovery of an illegal drug allegedly being carried by a Columbus man who was wanted in Indianapolis.
Besides a Marion County warrant, David A. Ward, 45, of 1805 Central Ave. now faces new local charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia and driving while suspended.
Shortly before 11 p.m. Friday, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy Leah Burton pulled over Ward’s vehicle on Jonathan Moore Pike after seeing his taillights were out, a sheriff’s department news release said.
As she approached the driver, the deputy became suspicious when Ward put his hands in the air without being ordered to do so, the release stated.
Ward admitted he was driving without a valid license, and Burton conducted a computer check that showed Ward was wanted in Indianapolis for probation violations following a theft conviction, the release said.
That violation was filed after Ward was arrested at the end of last month here in Bartholomew County, also for theft.
During a pat down at the scene of Friday’s pullover, officers discovered that he was carrying a glass pipe with residue that later tested positive for methamphetamine, the sheriff’s department said.
Also, a small black baggy with a white crystal-like substance was found in his watch pocket during a more substantial body search at the Bartholomew County Jail, the release stated.
Since Ward is wanted in Marion County, he was ordered to be held without bond, jail officials said.
