Porter County Sheriff's Department

Traffic Stop Nets $32,000

PHOTO PROVIDED Sheriff's Officer Larry Laflower and his police dog Aslan inspect the spare tire that was found to hold $32,000. The car was pulled over originally because of a window tinting violation.

Traffic stop nets $32,000

Tinting violation leads cops to stashed cash

BY ELIZABETH HOLMES
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Thursday, September 29, 2005 12:49 AM CDT

A traffic stop on the Indiana Toll Road for a tinting violation Tuesday morning led police to more than $32,000.
Porter County sheriff's police pulled over a 35-year-old Arizona man near Chesterton to check the degree of tint on the windows of the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis he was driving.

The Officer determined the car was in violation of the window tint statue and issued him a citation.
That would have been all -- if Officer Larry Laflower and his canine partner Aslan, wouldn't have showed up.
Aslan detected a smell of drugs in the trunk area of the vehicle. After Delgado and his passenger consented to a search and authorities obtained a warrant, police discovered more than $32,000 stashed in the spare tire in the trunk.
The money, in $20, $50 and $100 bills, was hidden inside some foam insulation and wrapped in cellophane, police said.
Both Delgado and his passenger, a 30-year-old man from Mexico, were unable to provide documentation for the money. Delgado said the vehicle belonged to another Arizona man who was not at the scene.
The money is being held by the police as part of an ongoing investigation. Both the subjects and the vehicle were released, police said.

Porter County Sheriff’s Police seized more than $32,000 following a traffic stop on Sept. 27^th at 7:36 a.m. on the Indiana Toll Rd.  Officer Jim Gaskill stopped a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis at the 34 mile marker on the Toll Road after observing the vehicle was in violation of the window tint statute.  A window tint meter was used to determine the vehicle’s windows failed to comply with the legal limit, and the driver was issued a citation.  The driver was identified as Jose Cruz Delgado, age 35, who resides in Arizona.  A 30-year-old male from Mexico was a passenger in the vehicle.  Officers determined the Mercury was owned by an Arizona resident who was not present.  Officer Larry Laflower arrived during the stop and walked around the vehicle with his canine partner, Aslan, who is trained in drug detection, and the dog alerted his handler of the scent of drugs in the trunk area. 

The officers spoke to the occupants, who consented to a search of their vehicle.  The vehicle was transported to the Sheriff’s Police garage, and a search warrant was obtained after police contacted the Prosecutor’s Office.  Approx. $32,000 was found in denominations of 20’s, 50’s, and 100 dollar bills inside a spare tire in the trunk.  The spare was filled with foam insulation and three cellophane wrapped bundles of cash.  Both men were questioned and were unable to provide documentation for the money.  The money was held for safekeeping and placed into evidence by police.  The subjects and vehicle were released and the investigation regarding the cash is continuing.