BEDFORD — An expired license plate on a pickup truck led to the arrest of three individuals late last week after an Indiana State Police trooper and a Lawrence County sheriff’s deputy uncovered methamphetamine, fentanyl, and multiple syringes during a traffic stop.
Tela S. Weldon, 35, of Shoals, Indiana, was among those arrested on Friday, May 29, 2026. She faces a Level 6 Felony charge of unlawful possession of a legend drug injection device. Two other passengers in the vehicle face multiple felony drug allegations.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Indiana State Police Trooper Ben Burris, the incident began at approximately 5:03 p.m. on Old State Road 37 near its intersection with State Road 37.
Trooper Burris was operating an unmarked patrol vehicle when he spotted a black Toyota pickup truck traveling ahead of him with a license plate that had expired on May 21. A computer status check revealed that the plate actually belonged on a white Ford F150.
The trooper activated his emergency lights and pulled over the vehicle, identifying it as a 1997 black Toyota T100. There were four people in the vehicle
The male driver of the vehicle was identified as Eric Hackney. Inside the truck were three passengers:
- Michael Norman, 36
- Shaela Mederios, 35
- Tela Weldon, 35
Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenton Carter arrived on the scene shortly after with his K9 partner, who conducted an open-air sniff around the truck and gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics.
A subsequent physical search of the vehicle revealed a plastic bag on the rear floorboard containing a used hypodermic syringe and a metal cap containing a residue that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. Weldon and Mederios were seated directly above the items in the back seat.
As the investigation deepened, multiple passengers were found to be concealing severe contraband on their persons.
During a post-Miranda interview, Mederios initially claimed ownership of the syringe and metal cap found on the floorboard. She later admitted to police that she had drugs hidden on her body. She retrieved a folded piece of paper containing approximately 3 grams of a crystal substance, which field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
While standing outside the pickup truck during the investigation, a hypodermic syringe fell directly out of Norman’s pants. A search of his person by troopers subsequently uncovered a metal cap with residue hidden inside his shoe, along with a folded piece of paper in his sock containing a pink powder. Norman waived his rights and admitted the pink powder was fentanyl. He further claimed that the methamphetamine found on Mederios and the paraphernalia inside the truck actually belonged to him.
Weldon admitted to Trooper Burris that she had multiple used hypodermic syringes hidden on her person. She voluntarily retrieved three used syringes, stating she believed they had been used to inject methamphetamine.
While the driver, Hackney, was not listed as jailed in the affidavit, Norman, Mederios, and Weldon were all placed under arrest. They were transported to the Lawrence County Security Center and remanded to the custody of the jail staff.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
