According to Sheriff Kent Oberkrom, shortly
after midnight on Sunday morning, May 18th, Cpl. Aaron Brown conducted
a traffic stop in the 300 block of North Hwy 7, when he observed a dark-colored
Toyota pickup truck fail to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of NW
221. After Cpl. Brown contacted the
driver regarding the traffic violation, he returned to his patrol vehicle and
began to issue citations to the driver for several violations that he
discovered during the traffic stop.
Patrolman John Scott and K-9 Junior, both of the Clinton Police Department, responded
to the scene to conduct a K-9 sniff of the Toyota pickup, as Cpl. Brown
continued to issue citations to the vehicle’s driver. Upon request of Patrolman Scott, the driver
and passenger were asked to exit the vehicle momentarily, as K-9 Junior
conducted a sniff of the vehicle’s exterior.
When a positive alert from K-9 Junior was noted by Patrolman Scott, a search of
the Toyota commenced, yielding the discovery of small amounts of substances
believed to be methamphetamine and marijuana, as well as numerous items of
paraphernalia believed to be used for the consumption of both substances.
Arrested on 24-hour investigative holds for two (2) counts of possession of
controlled substances and two (2) counts of unlawful possession of drug
paraphernalia was Ryan Keith, age 42, of Clinton. Citations were also issued to Keith for
failing to stop at a stop sign and no valid operator’s license. Keith’s vehicle was towed from the scene by
Golden Valley Towing. The passenger in
Keith’s vehicle was released at the scene.
“Much the same as events that have been reported in past weeks, again a traffic
violation led to an arrest of alleged drug offenses and a cooperative effort
between local law enforcement agencies, in this case the Clinton Police
Department, helped lead to its discovery.
There are many law enforcement agencies on local, state and federal
levels that should be recognized and commended, as those officers work together
for the citizens of Henry County, to make our communities safer places for us
all to live and work”, Sheriff Oberkrom stated.
