A clear sky. Low near 55F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

A clear sky. Low near 55F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

ALBION — When Noble County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Nick Dubea ran the Michigan plates on a Harley Davidson motorcycle Monday night in the Wolf Lake area, the plates came back as belonging to a Ford Escape.

After the motorcycle was pulled over by police, a search of one of the motorcycle’s saddlebags, following an alert by Dubea’s police K-9 Jax, allegedly led to the seizure of approximately 12 ounces of methamphetamine, according to court documents.

The motorcycle’s sole occupant, William A. White, 46, of the 1700 block of North C.R. 350W, Albion, was arrested at 8:14 p.m. Monday and booked into the Noble County Jail.

On Wednesday, White was formally charged in Noble Superior Court 1 with dealing methamphetamine, a Level 2 felony; and possession of methamphetamine, a Level 3 felony.

A Level 2 felony carries a sentencing range of 10-30 years in prison upon conviction.

At his initial hearing Wednesday, Superior Court 1 Judge Steven Clouse entered a not-guilty plea on White’s behalf, and set his bond at $25,000 — the standard for a Level 2 felony.

White said he would be hiring his own attorney.

After police had determined that the registration on the motorcycle did not match the vehicle, Dubea executed a traffic stop on South Main Street in Wolf Lake Monday evening. Dubea then walked his K-9 around the motorcycle, and the dog allegedly alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case, a search of the right saddlebag on the motorcycle led to the discovery of a black nylon bag. Inside the bag, Dubea allegedly located a clear bag “with a large amount of white crystal shard-like substance.”

At that point, Dubea placed White under arrest with the assistance of Deputy Noah Renbarger.

A further search of that black nylon bag led to the alleged discovery of two more clear plastic bags that contained a white crystal shard-like substance.

The substances in the clear plastic bags allegedly field tested positive for methamphetamine.

The aggregate weight of the three bags and the substance inside was 369.2 grams, which is the equivalent of 12.8 ounces.

White allegedly admitted to not having insurance on the motorcycle. He also did not have the motorcycle endorsement required to ride a motorcycle in Indiana. The registration also was expired.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Deputy Public Defender Howard Hanson argued for the standard bond, citing White’s long-time residence in the area, the fact he has family in the area and no prior criminal history.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erik Murray argued for a $100,000 bond, citing the seriousness of the charge as well as the danger posed to the community by that large amount of methamphetamine.

Clouse sided with Hanson, but did agree to Murray’s request that as terms of his release on bond, White must sign up for pre-trial services agreement, including submitting to random drug screens.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.