A traffic stop led to the arrest of a local woman on multiple drug-related charges.
Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputy Leah Burton was traveling south on U.S. 31 near County Road 500N at 1:01 a.m. Saturday when she saw a vehicle heading north with a headlight out.
When the vehicle turned right onto County Road 500N, Burton stopped it and made contact with the driver, Lisa Simmons, 40, of 2301 Gilmore St., Columbus, deputies said. Simmons told Burton she had recently purchased the vehicle and had not registered it yet and that her mailing address was not accurate on her documents, deputies said.
Burton said Simmons appeared to be under the influence as she failed to respond to verbal commands, deputies said. Burton saw a bag containing small, round, green pills on the driver’s seat and saw that Simmons was hiding something under her skirt, deputies said.
Simmons told Burton she had concealed a glass pipe underneath her clothing and she retrieved the pipe and placed it on the trunk, deputies said. The pipe contained white residue.
Burton also located a small, brown, glass jar with a whitish-brown substance inside, but Simmons did not know what that substance was, deputies said. Another glass pipe with white residue was located as well as a backpack that contained a pill bottle with four additional green pills and a white crystal rock-like substance, deputies said.
Simmons was arrested on charges of:
- Possession of methamphetamine
- Possession of a controlled substance
- Possession of paraphernalia
- Written warning for improper headlights
Simmons has been released from the Bartholomew County Jail, jail officials said. Her bond was initially set at $65,000, jail records state.
