TEXAS — A Friday night traffic stop in Newton County led to the arrest of a man on drug and weapons charges, according to Sheriff Colton Havard.
Havard said the stop occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on Martin Luther King Street when Sgt. Chad Ainsworth pulled over a vehicle and detected the odor of what he believed to be marijuana.
A subsequent search of the vehicle allegedly uncovered 24 grams of suspected methamphetamine and a handgun concealed inside an interior panel, the sheriff said.
The driver, identified as Mark Daniel Swartout, was taken to the Newton County Jail. He was charged with manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful carry of a weapon.
Sheriff Havard expressed appreciation to the Newton Police Department and Texas Game Wardens for assisting with the stop. He also said the Newton County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to combating illegal narcotics and continuing the fight against drugs in the county.
