Stephen D. Hand

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was arrested after officers discovered methamphetamine in his vehicle.

Stephen D. Hand, 33, 2257 S. Southwood Drive, Warsaw, is being charged with possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a class C misdemeanor.

On Oct. 16, an officer with the Warsaw Police Department observed a vehicle traveling well below the posted speed limit on Pierceton Road. The officer followed the vehicle and observed it touch the center line on three separate occasions.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the officer conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Hand, who had difficulty finding the registration for his vehicle and had to be asked a second time for his driver’s license.

The officer removed Hand from the vehicle and conducted several field sobriety tests. Hand failed two of them. The officer used his K9 unit to conduct an outer air search of Hand’s vehicle and the K9 made a positive alert.

Officers searched the vehicle and found a plastic bag containing a crystal substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. Hand admitted to using meth earlier in the day.

Hand has already been arrested and released on his own recognizance. He was given an initial hearing date at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in Kosciusko Circuit Court.