DAVIESS COUNTY- Investigative patrolling by a State Trooper lead to a suspicious vehicle and, in turn, take drugs off the streets and the incarceration of a pair of men at the Daviess County Security Center.
Just after 12:30 Thursday morning, a trooper with the Indiana State Police was patrolling County Road 100 West near County Road 225 North when he observed a red Chevrolet Impala. After turning around to watch the driving behavior of the vehicle, the trooper found the vehicle on County Road 100 West, stopped along the side of the road with it’s headlights off as if it were disabled.
The trooper stopped to see if he could be of assistance and spoke with 46-year old Ronald Ketchem of Washington and 35-year old Matthew Rodriguez of Linton, who were both standing outside of the Chevrolet.
Police say both men informed authorities that a female had been driving the car, and she had pulled over and ran from the scene.
The trooper requested assistance from the Washington Police Department, Daviess County Sheriff’s Department, and other troopers with the Indiana State Police.
Officers began searching the area for the female, and found a bag of methamphetamine in a ditch, eight feet from the Chevrolet. Daviess County K9 Sergeant Greg Dietsch arrived with his partner and performed an open-air search of the Chevy.
the K-9 gave a positive indication for the presence of narcotics in the vehicle, and a subsequent search led to the seizure of marijuana and numerous legend and Schedule IV controlled substances, as well as drug paraphernalia.
During the investigation, officers learned that Ketchem and Rodriguez had made up the story of the female running from the scene and that they were the only two people in the car.
Ronald Ketchem faces charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, Maintaining a Common Nuisance both Level 6 Felonies. A Class A Misdemeanor count of Possession of a Schedule 4 Controlled Substance, a Class A Misdemeanor count of possession of a Legend Drug, Possession of Marijuana a Class B Misdemeanor and a Class A Misdemeanor count of False informing.
Meanwhile Rodriguez is looking at a Level 6 Felony counts of Possession of Methamphetamine, Maintaining a Common Nuisance and Possession of a Schedule 4 Controlled Substance a Class A Misdemeanor, Possession of a Legend Drug A Class A Misdemeanor, Possession of Marijuana a Class B Misdemeanor a Class a misdemeanor count of False Informing and a Class A Misdemeanor count of Possession of Paraphernalia.
Both men were taken to and booked into the Daviess County Security Center,
