Courtesy photo Three area scouting leaders received awards at the On Saturday, January 18, the Chickasaw District of the Arbuckle Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America held its annual banquet in Ardmore. From left to right they are Belladean Landers of Ardmore, who received the District Award of Merit; Michael Haggerty was named the Scoutmaster of the Year; and Jason Phipps was named Assistant Scoutmaster of the Year. Haggerty, a Madill resident and local attorney, has served as Troop 10’s Scoutmaster for 3 years.
Local man racks up a charges from a traffic stop, and one is not a common one. On February 4, at approximately 8:15 p.m., Madill Police Sergeant Shannon Beshirs was patrolling the northbound lanes on Highway 177. As he neared the four-lane section of the area, he noted a vehicle approaching at a high rate of speed. He activated his radar and found the vehicle was traveling 80 miles per hour; it is 65 in that area.
Beshirs allowed the vehicle to pass him, then he immediately fell in behind the black Ford F-150 and activated his emergency lights. The truck then pulled onto the shoulder near Baker Lane.
The sergeant approached the driver and requested his license and insurance, and informed the driver the reason for the stop. The driver, later identified as Hector Santiago, a 29-year-old male from Madill, told Beshirs he did not realize he was traveling as fast as he was clocked.
Santiago gave Beshirs the bad news that he did not have a valid driver’s, only an identification card. Beshirs asked if the driver had a license at all, and could the issue be that Santiago just was not currently in possession of the license. More bad news, Santiago said his license was actually suspended – an arrestable offense in Oklahoma.
According to the police report, while questioning Santiago, Beshirs said he was hit with a familiar smell.
“While speaking with Mr. Santiago, I was overwhelmed wih the odor I know to be, based on my training and experience, to be the odor of marihuana coming from inside the vehicle,” Beshirs noted.
When Beshirs questioned Santiago about the odor, he originally denied having any marijuana, but quickly changed his answer. The suspect told Beshirs that he was in possession of a joint. The sergeant inquired if he had a medical marijuana card; more bad news for Santiago, he did not.
Santiago then produces a hand rolled marijuana cigarette and gave it to the officer. Beshirs then ran Santiago’s name to see if any warrants popped up. Even though he had no outstanding warrants, he was going to be taking a ride in the police cruiser. It is illegal to drive without a driver’s license. Beshirs informed Santiago that he was going to jail for driving on a suspended license and Possession of Marijuana.
Once Santiago was placed in the rear of the cruiser, Beshirs noticed a vehicle parked approximately one quarter of a mile away from where the traffic stop occurred. Santiago then informed the officer that he had contacted his wife to pick up the minor, but informed Beshirs that she would not approach them until the officer gave consent.
The officer allowed the wife to park closer to the traffic stop, then approached the passenger side of the original vehicle to speak with the juvenile male. As the minor was exiting the vehicle, Beshirs noticed that the juvenile was favoring the front part of his body, almost like he was stooping. Beshirs made a quick note of the juvenile’s actions, and noticed a bulge in his waist band.
The officer then stopped the juvenile and asked what he was hiding. The minor denied hiding anything on him. Beshirs then informed the minor that he could tell that the juvenile was most definitely hiding something. That is when the minor came clean, and told Beshirs that him he was hiding something, but said none of it was his.
Once Beshirs retrieved the items, he noted that there was a glass smoking pipe with a white residue, and a clear plastic bag containing a white crystal-like substance. After further inspection, the officer also found a square box with a set of digital scales. The juvenile then admitted that he was hiding even more items, but these items were hidden in a sensitive area – near his genitals. The juvenile produces two more glass smoking pipes, four more clear plastic bags containing the crystal-like substance, and a bag with ten oval shaped pills.
Beshirs put the juvenile in custody and told the juvenile’s mother to meet them at the station.
While waiting for the tow truck to arrive, Beshirs inventoried the vehicle. He found two black containers on the passenger floorboard that contained more crystal-like substance. The containers had magnets on the top to be able to attach to metal. He also found a backpack with a suspicious green leafy substance.
Once back at the station, Beshirs read the juvenile his rights. The minor waived them and proceeded to explain his side of the story. According to his police report, “[redacted] stated once they passed me, Mr. Santiago became very nervous,” Beshirs reported. “He stated Mr. Santiago retrieved two boxes from the backpack in the rear seat and told him to get the items out and hide them on his person.”
The juvenile, not wanting his uncle to get into trouble, did as he was asked. Beshirs inquired if the juvenile knew what he was hiding. His reply was “a scale and some pipes, and dope.”
The crystal-like substance tested positive for Methamphetamine, and weighed 53.85 grams, and the leafy substance was 15.63 grams of marijuana.
Santiago was booked into the Marshall County Jail on charges of Possession of CDS – Meth – with the intent to distribute, Trafficking, Employing Minors in Trafficking, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, Possession of CDS – Marijuana, and Possession of CDS with Valid Prescription.