By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
NESS CITY — Last week, the Ness County Sheriff’s Department made three drug-related arrests on K96 finding various narcotics, paraphernalia, large amounts of currency and firearms.
Ness County Sheriff Brandon Mitchell attributed the arrests to a new K9 unit — along with some good timing and training.
“It’s actually a little bit of both,” Mitchell said. “We obtained a K9 unit earlier this year and that has assisted in most of these drug busts on the highways.”
Along with the highway arrests, Mitchell said there have been many arrests in the county.
“We have also done a lot of search warrants in the county, but that has just been investigations of our patrol sargeant and helping our other deputies and our undersheriff.”
Mitchell attributes the four small highways that run through the county as a main cause of the trafficking, as people avoid Interstate 70 and other major highways in an effort to avoid detection.
“I believe that people transporting narcotics and other illegal activities are happening on the smaller highways because they believe they can avoid the interstates and or avoid apprehension this way, and we are doing our best to up our patrols and try to catch what is coming through the county,” he said.
But turning the knowledge of illicit activities into arrests is a function of training, according to Mitchell.
“These guys are really good at interdiction stops,” he said. “When they make a traffic stop, whether it is for speeding or any kind of traffic violation, they are looking for indicators that would contradict what their story is telling you.”
Some examples he gave included a suspect saying they are on a long trip, but having no luggage in the car, or getting different stories from the driver and passenger.
He said the trip itself can be an indicator if, for example, the driver said they are traveling from Kansas City to Denver.
“We know that Denver to Kansas City is an I-70 trip, one way, it is the easiest way there,” Mitchell said. “If they are going out of their way to hide, then it starts to raise suspicion.”
Once a stop is made and indicators of deception are noticed, Mitchell said the K9 undersheriff is called in to confirm or deny suspicions.
“That’s where a lot of this is coming from, the guys are just doing a good job and knowing their job well,” he said.
The first highway drug arrest was made on Tuesday, June 25, at approximately 4:45 p.m. at K96 at W Rd.
“During the stop, K9 Bach was deployed and a probable cause search was conducted. Deputies recovered over $11,000 in U.S. currency, cocaine, marijuana edibles and drug paraphernalia,” according to a department announcement.
A male suspect was arrested and transported to the Ness County jail, where he is being held on a $50,000 bond.
The second arrest was made just a day later at approximately 4:09 p.m. when Ness County patrol deputies initiated a traffic stop on K96 at milepost 109.
“During the investigation, K9 Bach was deployed and indicated a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted. The search produced cocaine, narcotics scale, and $400 in U.S. currency,” a release from the department said. “One male suspect was arrested and booked into the Ness County jail for charges of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, driving while license suspended/canceled/revoked and possession of drug paraphernalia.”
The third incident occurred on Saturday.
“On (June 29), Ness County Sheriff’s deputies initiated a traffic stop on K96 eastbound at W Rd,” an announcement from the department said. “During the investigation, K9 Bach was deployed and indicated the odor of narcotics in the vehicle. A probable cause search was conducted. Deputies found a hidden compartment containing a loaded handgun with the serial numbers removed, four baggies of methamphetamine and a glass pipe used to smoke methamphetamine.”
In that case, two suspects were arrested and taken to the Ness County jail on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm with altered identification and several traffic violations.