Pair to face drug chargesAfter acting suspiciously for several hours in February at a local restaurant, a Pierceton man and Bourbon woman are facing multiple drug charges.
Eric Michael Cartwright, 31, of 8280 E. U.S. 30, #24, Pierceton, was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 9:22 p.m. Feb. 25 on a preliminary charge of possession of a hypodermic syringe or needle with a bond of $5,250.
Court documents filed Monday list the charges against him as possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; possession of a narcotic drug, a level 6 felony; possession of a syringe, a level 6 felony; and possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor.
Lacey Rae Trowbridge, 27, of 405 S. Washington St., Bourbon, was booked into the jail at 9:39 p.m. Feb. 25 on the same preliminary charge and bond. The charges against her are the same as those filed against Cartwright, according to court documents filed Monday.
On Feb. 25, Warsaw Police officer Jacob Metzger responded to a report of suspicious people at a Subway restaurant. Employees told him a man and woman had been in the restaurant for multiple hours, going in and out of the business, then in the restroom several times. People had been meeting them inside and outside the restaurant and they saw Cartwright with large amounts of money.
An officer spoke with the woman – identified as Trowbridge. Officers saw multiple bags on the side of the booth where Trowbridge was standing and she said she had a drug addiction. Cartwright was found in the bathroom.
Officers approached the bathroom and, after they knocked several times and heard the toilet flush multiple times, Cartwright exited. In the bathroom officers found a gray bag containing 14 syringes, six syringes containing a clear liquid, 11 plastic bags containing methamphetamine and weighing .3 grams, three bags containing cocaine, two plastic bags containing heroin and weighing 1.9 grams, a spoon, two white pills and marijuana.
In searching Cartwright, officers found $200 in his wallet and two cellphones. Officers then searched Trowbridge’s and Cartwright’s bags and found 10 syringes, with one containing a liquid substance, three digital scales covered in residue, three cellphones and two tablets. In Trowbridge’s purse, officers found empty plastic bags and a syringe that tested positive for heroin.
Trowbridge admitted to an officer she had been in the bathroom with Cartwright and decided to walk out. She said the purse belonged to her but the bags belonged to Cartwright, according to court documents.
Cartwright was convicted of possession of cocaine on Dec. 1, 2011, and possession of a narcotic drug on Aug. 7, 2017. He also has two active criminal cases against him.
Cartwright’s and Trowbridge’s initial hearings are set for 8:15 a.m. March 14.
