MITCHELL – Two men were arrested Friday on drug charges after a Mitchell Police officer was notified of a stolen blue Ford Ranger spotted traveling south on State Road 37 from US 50 West. The vehicle had been stolen in Bedford.
The officer parked off State Road 37 near Spice Valley Road and intercepted the vehicle.
The driver of the stolen vehicle traveled west onto State Road 60 West and then right into a driveway of a business.
The officer exited his vehicle and approached the stolen vehicle and its occupants. The officer ordered them to keep their hands where he could see them.
That is when 28-year-old Rodney Miller, of Pendleton, exited the vehicle and was placed in handcuffs
In his pocket, the officers found a glass smoking device commonly referred to as a “chicken bone” with meth residue inside.
The passenger, 72-year-old Hans Oberth, of Orleans, was detained.
The officer said there was a “strong odor of raw marijuana emitting from the inside of the vehicle”
Miller stated that he did not steal the vehicle.
Officers found oxycodone pills, 13 grams of crystal meth, 15 grams of marijuana, and numerous baggies in the stolen truck. A draw-string bag was found in the truck bed that housed eight used syringes. Counterfeit $100-dollar bills in the sum of $1,100 were also found.
Oberth was detained on charges of possession of a narcotic drug, and possession of meth
Miller faces charges of dealing and possession of meth, possession of a narcotic drug, auto theft, unlawful possession of a syringe, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operating a vehicle while never licensed.
The vehicle was towed from the scene by Mikels Towing and Recovery LLC.
If you know something, say something. Send an email to drugactivity@lawrencecounty.in.gov or call Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office tip line at 812-545-4700. All calls are confidential.
