A 27-year-old Sulphur Springs man was arrested after officers found suspected marijuana and methamphetamine in his bag Sunday afternoon.
Sulphur Springs Police Officer Sean Hoffman reportedly conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Silverado at 1:54 p.m. Nov. 24, in the 200 block of East Spence Street. On contact, the officer reportedly observed the driver show ing signs of nervousness, including shaky hands. Hoffman also, in arrest reports, alleged he detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside of the truck.
The driver, identified in reports as Donald Merced Ramirez, allegedly admitted to having marijuana when Hoffman asked him about it. When asked if there were any other illegal substances in the vehicle, Ramirez advised the officer there was methamphetamine in the pickup, Hoffman alleged in arrest reports.
After placing Ramirez into custody, Hoffman searched the truck, where he allegedly found a black bag with a leafy, green substance he believed to be marijuana and a crystal-like substance he believed to be methamphetamine behind the back seat. As he was taking the bag to his patrol car, Hoffman noticed a black case on the road behind the patrol vehicle, the area the man drove through before bringing the truck to a stop, Hoffman stated in arrest reports.
When asked if he threw the case out the window when turning onto Spence Street from Ardis Steet, Ramirez allegedly admitted he did. The case, Hoffman alleged in arrest reports, contained a large amount of leafy green substance he believed was marijuana.
Ramirez reportedly had a younger child inside the vehicle with him. The child was released into the custody of the mother. Ramirez was taken to jail and the truck was impounded.
Ramirez was charged with possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. He remained in the county jail Monday morning; bond was set at $10,000 on the tampering with evidence charge and $5,000 on the controlled substance charge, according to jail reports.
Nov. 24 marked at least the fourth time Ramirez had been booked into Hopkis County jail this year. He was first arrested in 2019 on Feb. 16 for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance and driving while license invalid. He was arrested again on July 18 for assault causing bodily injujry and possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana in a drug-free zone; and on Sept. 18 for possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana in a drug-free zone, according to jail reports.
