Marshall County – A routine traffic stop Monday landed a Plymouth woman in jail after Indiana State Police Master Trooper Mike Gruett discovered meth in her coffee.
Shortly before 11:00 a.m., Gruett stopped a white 2002 Pontiac Bonneville on US 30 near Tulip Rd. in Plymouth for a traffic infraction. After speaking with the driver, Gruett purportedly recognized the female, Teresa Tapia, 51, of Plymouth from past drug related incidents she had been involved in.
Within minutes of the stop Gruett was assisted by Plymouth Police Department K9 Officer John Weir and his dog. Officer Weir walked his dog around the vehicle and received an indication from the canine that drugs may be present in the car.
Trooper Gruett approached the car and was talking with the passenger when he heard Officer Weir ask Tapia to exit the vehicle. Officer Weir told Tapia to leave a coffee cup in the car and exit but she refused and was attempting to swallow something from the cup.
Trooper Gruett assisted Weir removing Tapia from the driver’s seat. A struggle ensued between Tapia and the officer’s as she resisted and continued to clutch the coffee cup and attempt to drink the contents. Tapia was had cuffed after the altercation.
The officer’s then discovered a coffee filter inside the coffee cup Tapia was holding. Gruett recognized this practice through his police training as a common occurrence with meth users. The coffee filters are used to filter the meth as it is being produced. The individuals then take the used filter that contains the meth remnants and put it inside a drink in order to ingest the residual meth that was left in the filter during production.
A subsequent field test of the coffee filter and other items in Tapia’s car returned back positive results for methamphetamine.
Tapia was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and resisting arrest. She is currently being held in the Marshall County Jail on bond.
*All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
-30- SMITH
