A driver stranded on I-69 with one flat tire and one very low tire was waiting for a ride when a state trooper stopped to check on him. While helping the driver change the flat tire, the trooper saw a smoking pipe in the vehicle with residue that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

Wesley Ryan Holcomb, 41, Westfield, Ind., was arrested by Indiana State Police Trooper Sam Gillespie on Wednesday afternoon, January 12.

Trooper Gillespie was dispatched to the northbound lanes of I-69 on Wednesday, January 12, near the 101.5 mile marker in Greene County where a motorist was stranded.

When he arrived and approached a silver 2019 Range Rover sitting on the shoulder, he saw the driver, later identified as Holcomb, sleeping in the passenger seat. After waking Holcomb, Holcomb said the two front tires were flat. He said he had contacted his insurance company and thought they were sending a Lyft driver to pick him up.

Trooper Gillespie checked and said the right front tire was low but appeared to be drivable if the left front tire was replaced. He told Holcomb who agreed to try and put the spare tire on.

In the process of changing the tire, a key was needed to unlock one of the lug nuts to remove the wheel. They were both looking for the key when the trooper asked if he could look inside the center console for the key and Holcomb said he could. But Trooper Gillespie reported that when the center console was opened, he saw a clear glass smoking pipe with a crystal substance lying on the passenger seat where Holcomb had been sitting.

Trooper Gillespie requested another officer to respond and multiple officers arrived shortly after he made the request.

Holcomb was taken into custody and during a pat-down, a clear plastic bag containing a crystal substance was allegedly found in a pocket.

The substance in the pipe field-tested positive as methamphetamine.

During a search of the vehicle, a plastic container of plant material that appeared to be marijuana and a broken clear glass smoking pipe were found.

Holcomb was booked into the Greene County Jail at 4:30 p.m. He was initially held without bond pending court appearance.

Last week when Holcomb appeared in Greene Superior Court for his initial hearing, he was charged with:

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony,

• Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and

• Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

During the hearing, his bond was set at $5,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He has since posted $500 and been released.