Four arrested on drug charges after Hope traffic stop

Correction: Due to a source error, the charges listed in earlier versions of this story were incorrect. 

Hope police arrested four people on drug charges after a traffic stop this week.

Hope Town Marshal Matt Tallent says an officer noticed a car fail to stop for a stop sign at Jackson and Harrison Streets on Tuesday night. When police pulled the car over a few blocks away, the smell of marijuana was allegedly coming from inside the vehicle. The department’s police dog, Duke, was brought to the scene and alerted to the odor of drugs inside the driver’s side door.

A search revealed several bags of marijuana, three burnt marijuana cigarettes, a digital scale and small plastic bags for packaging.

As officers searched the passengers, one of them, 27-year-old Charles A. Freeman, of Columbus, tried to run away and was caught at a Jackson Street home shortly afterwards according to officers. He was wanted on a Bartholomew County warrant.

Freeman, 34-year-old Randall Bland Jr. of Seymour, 20-year-old Daniel A. Lunsford of Columbus, and 18-year-old Jamal L. Marshall of Nashville were all arrested on charges of possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Freeman is facing further charges of resisting law enforcement and false informing.