SALINE CO.—A Crescent City man and an Eldorado man have been jailed after a tip to authorities prompted a traffic stop and the pair was found with drug manufacturing precursors.
According to authorities, back on September 23, Harrisburg police officer Nathan Moore was contacted by Wal-Mart loss prevention officer Ryan Ward who told him two white males were inside the store purchasing Sudafed.
Ward said the two were not physically together but appeared to be communicating.
Ward followed one of the men out of the store and watched as he proceeded to get into a red pick up truck with no tailgate.
Ward lost sight of the second man.
Moore located the pickup as it left Wal-Mart and followed it to the intersection of Ill. Rte. 45 and Locust St where he observed the driver of the vehicle execute a lane change and left hand turn without benefit of a turn signal.
That’s when Moore activated his emergency lights and pulled the vehicle over, which is also about the time he saw a passenger in the truck throw something out the window.
James Rose
Moore identified the driver as James Rose, 51, of 1588 East 1400 North Road, Crescent City and the passenger as 49-year-old Robert D. Mathew of 2313 Ridge St., Eldorado.
When asked for his driver’s license Rose informed officer Moore he didn’t have one.
That’s about the same time Mathew started telling officer Moore how the truck was actually his girlfriend’s and they had just purchased it and just put the registration plates on it even though he knew the plates that were put on didn’t belong to her or her truck.
Mathew was honest enough to admit he realized the plate switching was wrong.
Robert Mathew
Both men were taken into custody.
The extent of Mathew’s honesty came into question when he told officer Moore the box of Sudafed was his girlfriend’s. However, neither Rose nor Mathews claimed the second box officer Moore found between the drivers seat and the console.
There was also a noticeable silence when officer Moore found a small black and silver smoking pipe, believed to be in the items thrown from the passenger’s side, in the grass near the vehicle.
The pipe was found to come complete with a strong odor of cannabis.
Conscience, or something resembling it, overcame the men as they both admitted their part in the day’s events.
Rose said he purchased the Sudafed because he had been asked to do so by Mathew.
Mathew admitted he purchased the Sudafed with the intention of selling it to people.
He told Moore he could get $40 a box and told Rose he could do the same thing. He admitted knowing people who produced methamphetamine but said he had no idea how they used the pills he sold them.
He also admitted to throwing the pot pipe out the window.
Rose was charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Precursor and Failure to Signal when Required.
He was released from custody after $1,500 cash bond was posted on his behalf by Patricia Rose of 13001 Paulton Rd., Pittsburg.
Mathew was charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Precursor, Unlawful Possession of Converted License Plate, Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Unlawful Possession of Cannabis.
Mathew was being held on $1,500 cash bond.
His defense attorney Lowell Tison had filed a motion for bond reduction, calling the current amount excessive and claiming his client can only come up with $300 cash, which hearing was held Oct. 20, but apparently that wasn’t granted..
Both men are expected back in court later this month.