BEDFORD – A Bedford man faces a meth charge after Bedford Police officers were contacted by a Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department detective who reported he had received information from multiple confidential informants that 44-year-old John Tegarden was dealing meth and heroin in large quantities.
According to informants the drug transactions were taking place out of a local hotel in the area of State Road 37 and 5th Street.
While patrolling the area a Bedford Police officer located a red Pontiac G6 turn left out of the Super 8 Motel parking lot on Bellback Road. The vehicle traveled to 5th Street and then to State Road 37 and recognized the driver as Tegarden.
The officer followed in behind the vehicle and realized the license plate came back to a “light colored” Pontiac.
The officer stopped the vehicle because the red vehicle that he was driving did not match the vehicle color listed on the BMV return.
Tegarden told the officer the vehicle was not his. Tegarden informed the officer he had a pocket knife in his pocket. He claimed there was nothing illegal in the vehicle but denied the officer consent to search the vehicle.
Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department canine Dusty alerted officers to drugs in the vehicle.
During the search of the vehicle, the officers located a false key fob attached to the key that was in the ignition of the vehicle. When the two parts of the false fob were separated, officers discovered that the false key fob was a weighing scale. A crystal-like residue that tested positive for meth was concealed inside the false fob
Tegarden was placed in handcuffs and detained.
Due to the information obtained, officers asked to search Tegarden’s motel room. He denied that request. When asked if there was anything illegal in the motel room he replied, “probably, I don’t know.”
A search warrant was requested for Tegarden’s motel room, which Superior Court II Judge John Cline granted. On Thursday at 2:58 a.m. officers executed that search warrant. Inside they found a woman who was detained during the search. Officers found nothing in the motel room and the woman was released.
Tegarden faces charges of possession of meth and maintaining a common nuisance.
