Investigation leads to unrelated meth arrest
Staff writer
A 33-year-old Wichita man questioned in connection with an unrelated investigation with which he might not even have been involved was arrested at 11:09 a.m. Saturday after 0.2 of a gram of methamphetamine, a syringe, and a pipe were found in his vehicle.
When trying to question Brandon W. Hammond, who had been mentioned in an unrelated investigation, at Casey’s General Store, police had to run his name and date of birth because he had no license at the time.
They found several driving violations and prepared to have his motor scooter towed. That’s when they found meth and drug paraphernalia in his scooter, assistant chief Jesse Hiebert said.
“A lot of times people who not only have personal use but are actually hauling or transporting large quantities of this stuff will be caught for something as silly as speeding,” Hiebert said. “Then it snowballs into hey, I got a million dollar cash seizure or all these drugs. Yeah, it is kind of shocking.”
One distinction between Hammond’s arrest and similar incidents was that Hammond’s first contact was not for a traffic violation, Hiebert said.
“In this specific case what’s important to remember is that contact was made with this guy not for a traffic violation but during an investigation on another case,” he said.
Hammond was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, driving with a revoked license, having no registration and no insurance, and transferring certificates of titles unlawfully.
The case Hammond was first questioned about remains ongoing, but little evidence was found in connection to Hammond.
“As they’re questioning him about this it almost seemed like he had nothing to do with the other case, but the reporting party was the one who mentioned that he did,” Hiebert said. “I’m not sure how this is going to go down.”