Linton woman arrested and charged for meth and syringe possession

A Linton woman arrested last weekend said she didn’t know who owned the bag containing drugs and a syringe that was found within her reach in her vehicle.

Tristan Phoenix Hyler

Tristan Phoenix Hyler, 28, Linton, was arrested by Officer Bobby Pierce of the Linton Police Department early last Saturday during a traffic stop.

Officer Pierce initiated a traffic stop on a gray 2004 Infinity on State Road 54 at 6th Street NW after he saw the Infinity traveling left of center on SR 54 at 5th Street NW in Linton.

Tristan Hyler was the driver.

When LPD Officer Joe Riley arrived to assist on the scene with his K9 partner Kona, the K9 sniffed around the vehicle and alerted to the presence of a controlled substance.

Officer Pierce reported Hyler showed signs of nervousness, saying her medication was in the vehicle but she’d given rides to people who use drugs.

During a search, the officers said they located a red/pink makeup bag in the front passenger seat next to Hyler’s purse. Inside the bag, they found a syringe, a silver spoon with a burnt on the bottom and a white residue on the top and a zip bag wrapped around the end, another plastic bag containing half of a small round blue pill and a cut straw with white residue. The straw field-tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine. The blue pill was sent to an ISP lab for analysis – results pending.

Hyler allegedly denied the items belonged to her and said she didn’t know who they belonged to. She said she was pregnant and would not be using any drugs. She first consented to a blood draw to prove no controlled substances were in her system, then she changed her mind.

Hyler was transported to the Greene County Jail where she was booked in at 4:03 a.m. She was first held without bond pending court appearance.

During her initial hearing in Greene Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon, June 15, via two-way video conference between the jail and the courtroom, her bond was set at $9,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. She has since posted $900 and been released.

Hyler has been charged with:

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony,

• Unlawful possession of syringe, a Level 6 felony, and

• Possession of a controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor.