For further information please contact: Sergeant Dale H. Moreland
(573) 840-9500
052319
May 23, 2007

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




On May 19, 2007, at approximately 9 p.m. a member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped a 1998 Buick Century traveling north on Interstate 55 at the 49-mile marker in New Madrid County for a traffic violation.
The driver, Emanuel D. Hodges, 26, of Blytheville, Arkansas, was stopped for a traffic violation. 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 trunk. Hodges was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and taken to the New Madrid County Jail.
The charge for which Emanuel D. Hodges was arrested 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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