MOUNT VERNON — Two suspects remain in jail after being indicted Monday for drug trafficking by a Knox County Grand Jury — thanks to a K9 unit that sniffed out methamphetamine during a traffic stop.
According to a press release by the Mount Vernon Police Department, Judy McCloskey and Steven Garrad were charged by the Knox County Prosecutor’s Office during a July 1 grand jury session.
The suspects were both charged with Aggravated Trafficking in Drugs which, in this case, is a first-degree felony.
The charges also included a Major Drug Offender Specification due to the quantity of drugs seized, police stated. At this time both suspects are incarcerated in the Knox County Jail. Their bond has been set at $100,000 cash with no 10% bond.
The incident took place on June 23, when officers of the Mount Vernon Police Department Patrol Division conducted a traffic stop in the area of Mount Vernon Avenue and Clay Street.
During the stop, a K9 Unit was utilized and positively alerted to the odor of narcotics in the vehicle.
The driver, McCloskey, and passenger, Garrad, were detained and removed from the vehicle, police reported. During a search of the vehicle, well over 300 grams (almost 3/4’s of a pound) of suspected methamphetamine was located along with cash and drug paraphernalia.
The approximate street value of this amount of methamphetamine is well over $11,000, authorities stated. Both McCloskey and Garrad were arrested at the scene and charged with aggravated trafficking in drugs.
The Mount Vernon Police Department is a Member of the METRICH Drug Enforcement Task Force.Â
