Two arrested for meth possession during traffic stop in Switz City

Two people have been charged with meth possession after a K9 alerted on their vehicle that was pulled over for an equipment violation in Switz City.

James Logan Hanson

Tabetha Rene Collins

James Logan Hanson, 45, Bedford, and Tabetha Rene Collins, 41, Bloomington, were both in Greene Superior Court last week for initial hearings following their arrests by Sgt. Bobby Pierce of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department early Tuesday, September 22. They were both booked into the Greene County Jail around 2:40 a.m. Both were initially held without bond pending their appearances in court.

During their hearings, both Hanson and Collins were charged with possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony, and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Hanson’s bond was set at $25,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. As of late Wednesday, October 7, he had not yet posted bond and remained in jail.

Collins’s bond was set at $4,500 surety with ten percent cash allowed. She has since posted $450 and been released.

The charges stem from a traffic stop in Switz City at the intersection of State Road 54 and Charlotte Avenue for an equipment failure – the front driver’s side headlight was out. Collins was the driver of a silver 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix. Hanson was the passenger.

Officer Joe Riley and his K9 “Kona” of the Linton Police Department also responded to assist on the scene and when a sniff around the vehicle was conducted, K9 Kona alerted to the presence of controlled substances.

Sgt. Pierce reported Collins admitted there was a marijuana pipe in the vehicle, but she didn’t remember where, and when a search was executed, officers found a small black backpack with a ziplock bag that contained a white crystal substance that field-tested positive as methamphetamine. Under a blanket, they found a clear glass smoking device with a white residue, a ziplock bag containing a white crystal substance and three cut straws.

Collins admitted some of the items belonged to her but said she didn’t know about some. Hanson claimed all of the items belonged to him.