Traffic stop on I-65 turns up nearly a pound of suspected meth

COLUMBUS, Ind. Columbus police stopped a black Chevrolet SUV on Interstate 65 on Wednesday night, and the search that followed turned up suspected methamphetamine, fentanyl and marijuana. Two people from Norman were arrested.

The stop happened at about 8:30 p.m. on I-65, roughly 4 miles south of the State Road 46 interchange for Columbus and Nashville. Officers pulled the vehicle over for speeding. Police identified the driver as Benjamin Bracewell, 49, and the passenger as Sylvia Flowers, 37. Both live in Norman, an unincorporated community in Jackson County.

Police said canine Titus sniffed around the SUV and indicated the odor of drugs. Officers searched the vehicle and reported finding suspected marijuana. They also found a round, plastic-wrapped object near Flowers' feet, and police believe she tried to discard it. Both were arrested on preliminary marijuana-possession charges. At the jail, officers reported finding more suspected marijuana and suspected methamphetamine in Flowers' clothing.

The wrapped object was taken to the Columbus Police Department for examination. Inside were two bags. One held 449 grams of suspected methamphetamine, which police said could yield 1,800 to 4,500 doses. The other held nearly 27 grams of suspected fentanyl.

Following further investigation, police added preliminary charges of dealing a narcotic drug and dealing methamphetamine against both Bracewell and Flowers. Those charges are top-level felonies. The Columbus Police Department released the details Thursday night.

The case remains under review by the Bartholomew County Prosecutor's Office.