Starke County – A traffic stop last Thursday morning by a LaPorte County Deputy and an Indiana State Trooper was anything but routine after officers discovered 172 baggies of heroin on the woman.
The investigation began after the deputy stopped the woman, Kelly A. Koranda, 36 from Logansport, for a traffic infraction on US 35 just south of 500 North in northern Starke County.
The trooper and deputy became suspicious after speaking to the woman and observing her behavior. Trooper David Caswell, who was assisting Sgt. Tony Wallace with the traffic stop, is a trained Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE). After performing a drug evaluation on Koranda, Caswell felt that Koranda was exhibiting signs of impairment.
Koranda was transported to Indiana University Health Starke Hospital for a blood and urine drug screen. During the administration of the test a nurse for the hospital discovered that Koranda had been hiding suspected drug items in her underwear. Trooper Caswell spoke with Koranda about the drugs and she reportedly admitted to eating ten packets of the suspected heroin prior to being stopped along with hiding the other packets in her underwear. In all officers recovered 172 baggies of heroin from Koranda that weighed approximately 36 grams. Koranda was admitted to the hospital for observation due to the ingestion of the drugs.
Officers arrested Koranda at the hospital after she was released on Sunday the 27th. She was charged with felony dealing a narcotic drug, felony possession of a narcotic drug over 3 grams, felony maintaining a common nuisance, and misdemeanor operating while intoxicated on a controlled substance. Koranda was taken to the Starke County Jail.
*All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
-30-
SMITH
