A traffic stop on Dec. 21, led to confiscation of a pile of $20 bills that added up to $34,396 that is expected to end up in the treasury of the Sumpter Township Police Department.
Sumpter Police Sgt. Eric Luke was out on patrol during the midnight shift on Dec. 21 when he attempted to stop a vehicle with two occupants that had been traveling 71 mph in a 45 mph zone.
This was in the area of Judd and Martinsville and when he tried to stop the vehicle, it turned down a long driveway on Martinsville and attempted to hide behind a house.
Sgt. Luke was pretty sure they didn’t live there. He said he kept the vehicle in sight with a spotlight. When it stopped, Sgt. Luke said a man came out of the 4-wheel-drive Suburban and tried to approach the police car, but Sgt. Luke ordered him back inside his vehicle.
James Richard Mister, 38, of Prince Road, was taken into custody, along with his passenger, a woman who was wanted on an outstanding warrant for a parole violation. She was held until picked up by parole agents.
Sgt. Luke found Mister did not have a valid Michigan driver’s license.
Sgt. Luke was joined by Officer Jablonski. A tow truck was called to impound the vehicle and the two officers began their inventory of the Suburban.
They immediately noticed numerous $20 bills strewn around the front seat, the middle console, and the front floorboard area. More $20 bills were stuffed between the front seats.
At this point, they summoned Canton Canine Officer Dan Traylor and his dog Lefty. The dog detected a strong narcotics scent in the vehicle, as well as a crack pipe device.
Narcotic paraphernalia was found between the seats and floorboards, Sgt. Luke said.
They also found a partially opened backpack that contained a large amount of money in several stacks.
Both occupants were transported to the station where Mister was issued a citation for speeding, driving without a license and possession of narcotic paraphernalia.
He posted a cash bond and was served with a Notice of Seizure and Intent to Forfeit. The amount forfeited contained over 1,700 $20 bills and some ones which added up to $34,396.
Under law, Mister can petition the court during a certain time limit to get his money back.
Sgt. Luke said at the scene Mister wanted his backpack because he said it contained personal hygiene items.
When police found the money in the backpack, Mister told police it was money he earned last summer cooking as a chef in his home.
He told police he moved here in June from California.
Sgt. Luke said at the station they had Lefty sniff out a room that had no drugs in it and then Sgt. Luke hid some of the confiscated money in two locations. Lefty sniffed out a drug scent on the cash, Sgt. Luke said.