A 19-year-old woman was arrested and a 16-year-old male suspected of dealing meth was detained last week in Bloomfield as a result of a traffic stop by a BPD officer.

Makayla Dawn Hooten, 19, of Bloomington, was arrested by Lt. Marvin Holt of the Bloomfield Police Department early last Wednesday, June 17.

Lt. Holt was on duty near a car wash in Bloomfield around 12:25 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, when a gold 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt drove by on East Main Street. It was a 35 mph zone and the car appeared to be going 45-50. Lt. Holt got behind the Cobalt and saw it did not have license plate lights. He initiated a traffic stop just outside of town on State Road 54.

Hooten was identified as the driver with a 16-year-old male juvenile in the passenger seat and Aaron Edward O’Malley-Starr in the back seat. Hooten said she was taking O’Malley-Starr to a residence in Switz City to see his girl.

Lt. Holt noted suspicious movements and behavior by Hooten and the juvenile and after Deputy Jordan Allor of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department and Officer Joseph Riley of the Linton Police Department arrived to assist on scene, Officer Riley’s K9 Kona performed a sniff around the vehicle.

K9 Kona gave an alert to the presence of a controlled substance and when the vehicle was searched, officers located smoking devices with residue that field-tested positive for meth, a straw and small baggies containing a crystal substance that also field-tested positive as meth. The meth in the baggies later weighed at just over four grams.

Hooten allegedly admitted the pipe belonged to her but everything else belonged to the juvenile, who was her boyfriend.

Lt. Holt said when the juvenile was searched, he was found with a bag containing a crystal substance that field-tested positive as meth that weighed just under eight grams. He also had several little baggies and digital scales in a pocket.

O’Malley-Starr was released from the scene.

Hooten was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:13 a.m.

The juvenile’s mother was contacted to come to the jail but she didn’t have a car or a driver’s license and couldn’t find a ride. The juvenile was then taken to his home. When questioned about where he had purchased the methamphetamine, the juvenile denied he was dealing in meth and he asked for an attorney. Juvenile authorities were contacted and additional details about his case are not a matter of public record.

Hooten was initially held without bond pending court appearance. During an initial hearing in Greene Superior Court this week, her bond was set at $8,500 surety with ten percent cash allowed, and she was formally charged with:

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony,

• Maintaining a common nuisance, a Level 6 felony, and

• Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Since Tuesday morning’s hearing, Hooten posted $850 bond and was released from jail.