LAWRENCE CO. – A Bloomington man is facing drug charges after he was stopped for multiple vehicle violations on Wednesday, November 6.
Police arrested 48-year-old Stephen Lagle after a traffic stop and a subsequent search uncovered illegal drugs in his vehicle.
Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Captain Harrison Fleetwood pulled over Lagle’s black Mitsubishi Eclipse on U.S. Highway 50 East when he observed no operable tail lights, brake lights, or registration plate light. When Fleetwood ran the vehicle’s license plate, it came back as expired and registered to a different car, a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser. After stopping the vehicle on Brown Station Road, Lagle explained he had just purchased the car and was unaware of the malfunctioning lights.
Further investigation revealed that Lagle’s driver’s license was suspended due to a prior conviction. Fleetwood issued several written warnings for the vehicle violations and a summons for driving with a suspended license. However, as the officers prepared to conclude the traffic stop, they called Bedford Police Officer Michael Bell and his K9 partner, Castiel, to assist with a narcotics search.
Castiel alerted to the driver’s side door, prompting officers to conduct a probable cause search. During the search, a green/blue polka-dotted cosmetic bag containing a large Ziploc bag and two smaller bags of crystal meth was found under the driver’s seat. In total, police found 9.1 grams of meth.
Lagle was detained on charges of possession of meth over five grams with a prior dealing conviction and driving while his driver’s license was suspended with a prior conviction. He denied the drugs belonged to him and said that the previous owner must have left the drugs behind.
Lagle, who has a previous conviction for dealing methamphetamine in 2011, was transported to the Lawrence County Jail without incident.
Those facing criminal charges are considered innocent unless convicted through due legal proceedings. Accusations alone do not imply guilt; the judicial system will evaluate the presented evidence to reach a verdict.
