For further information please contact: Sergeant Dale H. Moreland
(573) 840-9500
051415
May 14, 2007

EMPHASIS: Traffic Stop On I -55 Results In Drug Arrest




On May 1, 2007, at approximately 2 a.m. a member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped a 2007 Lincoln Town Car traveling north on Interstate 55 at the 63-mile marker in New Madrid County for exceeding the posted speed limit.
The driver, Stephen L. Alston, 28, of Fort Worth, Texas, was stopped for exceeding the posted speed limit. As the trooper spoke to the driver he asked for consent to search, but was refused. A Highway Patrol K-9 officer was requested to respond to the scene. The K-9 alerted on the vehicle and a subsequent search revealed marijuana concealed in the luggage located in the floorboard. Alston was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and taken to the New Madrid County Jail.
The charge for which Stephen L. Alston was arrested for is a mere accusation and is not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charge must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.



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