Routine Traffic Stop Ends With Heroin Charges
When Dannielle V. Crispin was pulled over by a State Trooper in late September, it was a simple routine traffic stop. The trooper had been traveling behind her Buick sedan, when he noticed that the vehicle had a defective brake light. He ran the plates and discovered that there was no valid title information available for the car. So he pulled her over.
But that was only the beginning of Crispin’s troubles. She told the trooper that she and her husband had only recently bought the car, and that he had been in charge of getting insurance for it and putting on the license plate. Neither of which, it seems, he had handled correctly.
The trooper discovered that the vehicle was uninsured, and that the license plate was improper, and that the title hadn’t been transferred in the correct way. As a result, the vehicle was impounded. But before having it towed away to the impound lot, the trooper searched it. And what he discovered complicated things for Crispin far more than just insurance and title issues.
In the center console the trooper discovered a metal spoon crusted with a chalky white substance. When the trooper questioned Crispin about the spoon and it’s contents, she said that her husband struggled with substance abuse issues, and that it was very likely his. The trooper asked to search her purse, and when she gave consent, he found two orange needle caps.
Crispin was arrested on suspicion of drug possession. The substance in the spoon was subjected to field testing at the Bay County Jail where Crispin was held, and discovered to be heroin. It was then passed on to the Michigan State Police for additional testing.
Crispin was arraigned that same day in the Bay County District Court. She is facing several misdemeanor charges, including driving with improper plates, driving without insurance, and failure to transfer a title. She is also charged with a single felony, namely possession of a narcotic or cocaine less than 25 grams, which is a four year felony under Michigan law.
The Bay County Prosecutor’s Office has offered Crispin a plea deal. If she agrees to plead guilty or no contest to the single felony drug charge, they are willing to dismiss the other three misdemeanor charges.
A settlement conference has been scheduled for Friday, October 30th at 9:30 am before Judge Mark E. Janer. As of now, there is no word on what her decision is regarding the plea offer.