Middletown police canine leads officers to heroin arrest

The keen nose of Middletown police dog is being credited for the arrest of two and seizure of drugs early Wednesday morning.

“K9 Chase and Officer Ryan Morgan were called to another city to assist them with a traffic stop. Upon arrival Chase did an air sniff on the stopped vehicle and within a few minutes alerted on something within the car,” Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw wrote in a department Facebook post.

The dog searched the car and hit on a half ounce of heroin and fentanyl was located, according to Middletown police.

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“Drug trafficking is not jurisdiction exclusive. If you’re dealing it here you’ve most likely used the interstate, state routes and back roads from other cities to get here,” Muterspaw said on social media. “That’s why we’ve built a coalition in Butler County of teamwork, information sharing and relentless interdiction between police agencies.

The vehicle stop happened about 12:45 a.m. in Fairfield Twp., on on Lenox Avenue. The passenger of the truck was found to have outstanding warrants for drug possession, according to the Farifield Township police report.

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The police dog found baggie of off-white substance between the passenger and driver seats. A small bag was also found in the driver’s possession, according to the report.

Lee Jones, 31, of Brookwood Ave., Hamilton and Derek Mott Jr., 43, of Jacob Street, Hamilton, were both charged with possession of heroin and booked into the Butler County Jail.

About the Author

Lauren Pack

Lauren Pack, a native of the Miami Valley, has been on staff at the Journal-News since 1994 reporting on courts and crime.