Hopkins County Traffic Stop Leads To Drug Arrest

On Friday evening, a traffic stop was carried out by Sgt. T. Steward of Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office on a 1995 GMC Pickup located in the 12000 block of Highway 19 North. The reason for the stop was due to a defective stop lamp and lack of signal usage. Sgt. Steward approached Robert Muse, who was both the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. During their conversation, Sgt. Steward noticed that Muse avoided making eye contact and seemed to be looking around inside the vehicle. Based on his training and experience, Sgt. Steward interpreted these behaviors as signs of nervousness exhibited by Muse.

When questioned about the contents of the vehicle, Muse claimed to be unaware of its contents and denied a search. K9 Deputy D. Fisher subsequently arrived on scene and informed Muse of his rights, (i.e., Miranda Warning).

Muse confessed to the presence of marijuana in the car. K9 Deputy D. Fisher had his K9 companion Axe sniff around the vehicle. Axe, the police dog, indicated a positive response to the smell of drugs inside the car. Deputies proceeded with a probable cause search. During the search, they discovered a bag on the passenger seat which contained what appeared to be marijuana and an eyeglasses case. Inside that case, deputies found a small transparent baggie containing a substance resembling crystals believed to be methamphetamine. As a result, Muse was arrested and taken into custody.

After conducting a field test, it was determined that the substance resembling a crystal tested positive for methamphetamine. The total weight of the substance, including its packaging, was approximately 0.400 grams.

Robert Claude Muse, 59, of Sulphur Springs was booked into the Hopkins County Detention Center on charges of:

1) POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G

All subjects are innocent until proven guilty by the court of law.