Police seize guns, marijuana on Interstate 80 near Tiffin

Area police officers working on Interstate 80 on Thursday seized two handguns and various amounts of marijuana.

The seizures were part of an ongoing drug interdiction project on the interstate.

"We've been doing this in one fashion or another since 2010," said Iowa City Police Lt. Doug Hart, who administers the grant that funds overtime pay for officers working the project.

Hart said uniformed, plain clothed and K9 officers trained in narcotics detection work the interstate near the Tiffin rest area. Officers only stop vehicles if they have a probable cause - such as a moving violation - or a "reasonable suspicion" of wrongdoing, Hart said. Some of the encounters are initiated at the rest area itself.

The officers are looking for drugs, weapons, evidence of human trafficking or anything else that might affect homeland security, Hart said. Various Johnson County law enforcement agencies, the Marion Police Department and the Iowa Department of Transportation have assisted in the project. Hart said officers are deployed to the interstate when staff and funding are available. Hart applies to the Department of Justice grant, which is monitored by the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, on a monthly basis. The amount of available funding fluctuates from month to month, Hart said.

"I check in every month to see if there's money," Hart said.

Not counting Thursday's outing, officers have had 3,156 traffic contacts resulting in 78 controlled substance arrests and 47 arrests for impaired or unqualified drivers since the project began in 2010, Hart said. In that time period, there have been 68 controlled substance seizures, nine weapons obtained and $49,847 in forfeitable assets seized.

Three fugitives have been taken into custody and 13 suspects have been referred to federal prosecutors, Hart said.

According to criminal complaints from Thursday's operation:

• Officers stopped Cordell L. Bagby, 23, of Des Moines for speeding. While searching for his necessary paperwork, police said Bagby admitted to having a gun in his glove box and a permit to carry. However, officers found Bagby was barred from possessing a firearm because of a domestic abuse no contact order. He was arrested and faces one count of carrying weapons, an aggravated misdemeanor.
• Officers stopped Jordan S. Everson, 25, of South Euclid, Ohio; for speeding and window tint violations. Police searched the vehicle after a K9 alerted to the presence of drugs in the car. The search turned up a 9mm handgun, a rolled joint and brownies and crackers made with cannabis oil, which Everson allegedly told police she eats to get high. Everson was taken into custody for possession of a controlled substance, a serious misdemeanor.
• Kelly L. Acks, 27, of Hoffman Estates, Ill., was stopped after police saw her brother dumping garbage at the Tiffin rest area. Police found two grams of marijuana in the garbage. Officers stopped Acks, who admitted - without any questioning from officers - that the marijuana belonged to her. Acks allegedly told officers she was trying to avoid the "drug check point." She was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.
• Also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia was Teresea L. McConathy, 41, of Longmont, Colo. McConathy was pulled over when she failed to move over for an officer working a traffic stop. Police said a K9 alerted on the vehicle and McConathy admitted to having medical marijuana in her purse in the backseat. Officers found several baggies of marijuana and two pipes.

Hart said additional, non-custodial arrests were also made on the interstate on Thursday. He was not certain how many more arrests resulted from the interdiction project, but suspected it was in the four to six range.

The project will continue from time to time as long as personnel and funds are available, Hart said.