DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, OH (FOX19) -
Two men from Buffalo, NY are facing felony drug charges after one of them approached an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper at a gas station in Warren County to inquire about joining the Patrol.
Following the interaction, 85 grams of cocaine, worth more than $7,000, was found in the suspect's vehicle.
Three troopers, transporting three suspects from a previous traffic stop where three stolen vehicles were recovered, stopped at the Shell gas station on Kings Mills Road in Deerfield Township at 9:48 p.m. on July 18 to purchase fuel. A man, whose vehicle was parked at a gas pump near the cruisers, approached one of the troopers and expressed his interest in joining the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Throughout the interaction, criminal indicators were observed and a West Chester Police Department drug-sniffing canine was called to the scene and alerted to the suspect's vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle revealed 85 grams of cocaine wrapped in duct tape.
The suspect who inquired about becoming a trooper, Edward Harwell, 26, and his passenger, Darryl Watkins, 26, were charged with possession of cocaine, a first-degree felony and incarcerated in the Warren County Jail.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine.
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Edward Harwell (Source: Warren County Jail)
Darryl Watkins (Source: Warren County Jail)
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