An Indiana State Police trooper seized $5 million worth of drugs during a routine DOT inspection on Tuesday, October 30.  Indiana State Police say the trooper stopped the semi at the scales around 10:30 a.m. and got suspicious while talking with the driver.  After receiving consent, the trooper searched the trailer and found 220 pounds of suspected cocaine and 65 pounds of suspected methamphetamine. The drugs were found inside travel bags and have an estimated street value of roughly $5 million.  The trailer was loaded with aluminum crates and was traveling from California to Ohio. 

11/7/18

Two women are being held behind bars after a traffic stop uncovered heroin valued at $69,776 according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Thursday morning, October 25 around 2:44 a.m. troopers stopped a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan for a marked lanes violation on U.S. 68. According to a news release by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, troopers along with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office drug-sniffing canine were alerted to drugs in the vehicle. A probable cause search revealed the heroin.

11/1/18

Dozens of Connecticut state troopers, municipal police officers and civilians received awards Tuesday, October 23rd at the annual state police awards ceremony, including one trooper who received the rare Medal of Honor. Trooper First Class Marc O’Mara was working a construction detail on I-95 in October 2014 in the Norwalk area when a bus bound for the Mohegan Sun casino pulled up behind him. A man on the bus had stabbed several passengers and was threatening more. He was locked in a struggle with a passenger as they spilled out onto the side of the road, where the attacker kept trying to stab the passenger. The knife-wielding man began trying to attack O’Mara with the knife, and O’Mara shot and killed the attacker. On Tuesday, O’Mara received the Medal of Honor, given to officers who perform bravely by risking their own lives in combat with an armed and dangerous attacker. He said after the ceremony that officers need to be ready for any type of incident to unfold in front of them. He was assigned to a construction crew for a routine night, but ended up confronted with a deadly situation. “The adaptability of what we do out there on the road and being able to change gears and respond to an emergency like says it all about our training and about this department,” O’Mara said. “When you’re out there representing this department or any department, and you’re in uniform, you can be called on at any time.” The volume of dangerous, unexpected situations represented by awards Tuesday shows the bravery of police officers on a daily basis, said Col. George Battle, state police commander. Any day can start out as routine, but a tragedy can quickly and unexpectedly develop, he said. “You never know what’s going to happen from day to day or from shift to shift,” Battle said.

11/1/18

Hundreds of people, including law enforcement officers, paid their respects to Trooper Kevin K. Conner at an outdoor funeral at South Columbus High School on Sunday.  Conner was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop early Wednesday in Columbus County near the South Carolina line, authorities said.  Conner stopped a white GMC pickup that was speeding on U.S. Highway 701 south of Whiteville.  The truck pulled over near the intersection with Sellers Town Road, and when Conner approached the vehicle, someone inside fired multiple shots, hitting Conner in the face and the torso, authorities said.  The gunman, later identified as Raheem Cole Dashanell Davis, fled the scene.  A Good Samaritan happened upon a wounded Conner and called 911, David said.  An 11-year veteran of the Highway Patrol assigned to Columbus County and the father of two children, Conner was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.  "He was a family man. He loved his wife and kids.  He loved his community," said Mike Baker with the North Carolina Highway Patrol.  Baker said Sunday's funeral was a somber moment to remember Conner's legacy.  "We can do as many celebrations, we can do as many ceremonies as we possibly can to remember the legacy of Trooper Kevin Conner, it's not going to bring him back," Baker said.  The bond between law enforcement was evident, as people from agencies in 22 different states attended the service.  "It just shows we support each other in times of good and times of bad," Baker said.  Conner's body was escorted to the funeral by the North Carolina Troopers Association Caisson Unit and Gov. Roy Cooper spoke during the service.  The service was followed by a memorial outside the high school, which included a flyover.  Jeff Tripp, president of the local nonprofit Blue Knights Motorcycle Club chapter said that even though some of their members didn't know Conner personally, they wanted to attend Sunday's funeral to show respect.  "We want to show the Highway Patrol men that are here that we respect them.  They're still out doing the job day in and day out," Tripp said.  "It should tell you that we're all brothers in blue.  We are the thin blue line."  Tripp said the Blue Knights Motorcycle Club donated money to Conner's family from their officer down fund.  Flags across the state were lowered to half-staff Thursday morning in memory of Trooper Kevin Conner, the 65th State Highway Patrol officer to be killed in the line of duty.  In 2011, Conner was hailed a hero when he extinguished a car fire while saving a driver involved in a crash in Whiteville.  Highway Patrol troopers and other law enforcement officers accompanied Conner's body in a procession along U.S. 701 Wednesday evening.

10/25/18