A Columbus man finds himself facing several drug-related charges after a canine unit took interest in his vehicle during a traffic stop. FOX59 reports that Dustin Cross, 38, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl, both Level 6 felonies, as well as obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony, and misdemeanors for possession of paraphernalia and resisting law enforcement.
The sequence of events unfolded near Central Avenue and 12th Street when the Columbus Police Department (CPD) conducted a routine traffic stop for a moving violation. The department's service dog alerted the officers to the presence of narcotics, prompting them to further investigate. According to The Republic, officials observed Cross, who was a passenger in the car, to quickly reach into a bag and then attempted to consume an unidentified substance, believed to be drugs, leading to a confrontation with law enforcement.
During the tussle, Cross supposedly had "something green inside of his mouth which he refused to under any circumstances to spit out", as mentioned in a Local News Digital article. Examination by authorities later retrieved a piece of green chewing gum wrapped in foil containing fentanyl from what they suspect was spat out from Cross's mouth. Additional drugs and paraphernalia were allegedly found inside the car's bag.
After being taken into custody and evaluated at Columbus Regional Health, Cross was transported to the Bartholomew County Jail. While the charges against him are deemed accusations at this stage, the suspect is to remain innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Notably, the driver of the vehicle was not detained but released at the scene, focusing the investigation solely on Cross. The whole incident, capturing an array of societal issues from drug misuse to law enforcement's detection methods, now awaits the legal system’s scrutiny to determine the kind of justice that will, or will not, be meted out to Dustin Cross.
