Bloomfield man accused of meth possession in one case, battery in another

A Bloomfield man summoned to appear in court on a misdemeanor wound up in jail before his court date after a trooper found meth in the man’s pocket during a traffic stop.    

Jeremiah Cliff

Jeremiah J. Cliff, 38, Bloomfield, was booked in to the Greene County Jail early last Friday, September 7, by Indiana State Police Trooper Caleb Garvin after Garvin initiated a traffic stop on Cliff’s vehicle late Thursday night.

The trooper was on duty in the area of State Road 45 and State Road 445 in eastern Greene County. He was sitting and watching traffic when a black Toyota car driven by Cliff passed by, headed south on State Road 45. The license plate light wasn’t working and Garvin pulled him over.

Garvin reported that during the stop, he could smell the odor of alcohol coming from Cliff, who seemed very nervous and was breathing rapidly and shaking. Garvin said he could see Cliff’s carotid artery pulsating in his neck as well as a large vein in his right wrist pulsating.

Cliff was asked to exit the vehicle then agreed to a search of his person.

The trooper reported finding white Vicodin tablets which contain acetaminophen and hydrocodone bitartrate, a Schedule II controlled substance. Cliff said he had a valid prescription for this medication.

But Garvin also found a large chunk of a crystal substance folded up inside a dollar bill that Cliff allegedly later admitted was methamphetamine that he had bought earlier in the evening.

Cliff was arrested and held without bond pending an initial hearing in this case to be formally charged with possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony.

Cliff already had another case pending, with a preliminary charge of battery, a Class B misdemeanor.

In that case, the charge stemmed from an incident that occurred in Bloomfield in late July.

Deputy Marshal Wayman JR Blazier responded to an apartment in Bloomfield around 2:46 a.m. on Sunday, July 30, after police got a call about a battery.

When he arrived, a woman told him Cliff did not live with her but was a frequent visitor at her apartment. She alleged he had come into her apartment without permission and caused a physical altercation. She said he had been drinking, was homeless and slept in his car.

But Blazier reported Cliff told him he was in a relationship with the woman and had been staying at her apartment for about a month. When asked if he had ever put his hands on the woman, he said he did not and he would not. The officer determined Cliff had been drinking and asked him if he had another place he could stay. He did, and Blazier gave him a ride to his brother’s residence.

In late August, a case was filed against Cliff and in early September, he was summoned to appear in court for an initial hearing on the misdemeanor battery count in mid-October.