A 22-year-old Medora man was arrested on two drug-related charges Sunday evening after a traffic stop in that small southwestern Jackson County town.
John Wesley Newman faces a preliminary Level 5 felony charge of possession of methamphetamine and a misdemeanor charge of possession of paraphernalia, according to a news release from Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer.
Meyer said the stop for a traffic violation was made by county Sgt. Ben Rudolph at about 6:35 p.m. at Main and Jackson streets.
During the stop, Rudolph said he noticed suspicious behavior from Newman and decided to have his K-9, Nyx, perform a clean air sniff of the vehicle.
Nyx had a distinct change in behavior around the driver door, so Rudolph conducted a probable cause search.
Methamphetamine and paraphernalia were found inside the vehicle along with a long rifle, police said. Due to the rifle being found in the vehicle, the methamphetamine charge was enhanced from a Level 6 felony to a Level 5 felony.
A Level 5 felony calls for a sentence of one to six years in prison with an advisory sentence of three years upon conviction.
Jackson County officers Kevin Settle and Billy Dishman assisted Rudolph with the arrest.