By ZEINAB NAJM
Sunday Times Newspapers
ALLEN PARK — While on patrol in the area of southbound Southfield Road and Colwell Avenue Feb. 5, police observed a black Ford Fusion swerve multiple times while traveling Southfield.
A check of the license plate showed it was invalid so a traffic stop was conducted where the driver was asked to provide her driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance. The driver appeared confused and nervous and struggled to locate her driver’s license. While the officer waited, he asked the driver if she had been drinking and she said she hadn’t.
According to the report, the officer could smell the odor of intoxicants coming from the inside of the vehicle and observed a red solo cup with an unidentified liquid inside. When asked what was in the cup, the driver did not answer. The officer then asked if there was alcohol in the cup and she said there wasn’t. The driver willingly handed over the cup, which the officer could smell the odor of alcohol inside of it.
Police asked the driver to exit the vehicle while the passengers remained inside, who were watched by Michigan State Police after responding to assist.
The driver was put through a series of field sobriety tests, which she passed. Her driver’s license, however, showed three active suspensions. She was cited for driving with a suspended license and having no insurance. The passengers were then asked to exit the vehicle as police conducted an inventory search.
Police located a black plastic grocery bag on the floor in the front passenger footwell which contained three prescription pill bottles. They were later confirmed to contain hydrocodone, alprazolam and dextroamphetamine pills.
The front seat passenger said the pills belonged to his mother. Other passengers denied any knowledge of the man having the pills with him, telling police they went to pick him up because his car had broken down in Detroit and he needed a ride home.
Police arrested the man for violation of the controlled substance act. He was held on no bond. All pills were counted and placed into evidence along with a small notebook, which appeared to be a drug transaction log, and $1,902 cash.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)