A man was arrested early Tuesday morning after police found drugs, a firearm, and open containers of alcohol inside a truck parked at a local truck stop.
According to the Bellefontaine Police Department, the incident happened just before 2:00 AM at the Love’s Travel Stop.
Officers on routine patrol noticed a white Chevrolet Silverado parked in the middle of the parking lot with its hood open.
The truck was not in a parking space or at a fuel pump, and no one was inside.
The vehicle’s registration was expired, and an open container of beer was seen inside.
A man and woman later came out of the store and said the truck belonged to them.
The driver was identified as 20-year-old Alberto Enriquez of Columbus.
Officers said there was a language barrier, so Enriquez used his phone to translate.
He told police the truck had a battery problem and that he did not have any identification with him.
Police said Enriquez showed signs of intoxication and told officers he had one beer about an hour earlier.
He also said he and his girlfriend, Alba Ruth Salinas Castro, 24, of Columbus, had been driving since around 5 p.m. after traveling near Chicago to return to Columbus.
When officers asked about weapons, Enriquez said there was a gun inside the truck.
Police detained him and found a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun between the driver’s seat and center console.
During a search of the truck, officers found suspected cocaine inside a folded dollar bill and a small plastic bag containing white powder in the center console.
Both substances later tested positive for cocaine.
Another open container of beer was also found inside the vehicle.
Castro told officers she did not know about the drugs and said she had just been picked up.
She was released at the scene without charges.
The truck was towed to the police impound for a full search.
Officers later found another folded dollar bill with an unknown powder, a Texas ID card, and a Social Security card belonging to someone else.
Enriquez was taken to the Logan County Jail and booked on charges of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and drug possession.
