MENTONE – A Rochester man was arrested Monday following a traffic stop of his minivan, where police found meth.
Nicholas Louis Ponto, 28, of 1308 Jackson Blvd., Rochester, faces preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine and resisting law enforcement, after a traffic stop just after 8 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Ind. 19 and CR 600S.
There, Mentone Police Dept. officer Terry S. Engstrand pulled over Ponto’s 2000 Dodge minivan, and noticed “criminal indicators” which prompted Engstrand to remove Ponto from the van, according to the police department.
As Engstrand was conducting his investigation, police said Ponto fled into a field. Engstrand caught him some 200 feet away, and placed the man into custody, police said.
It was unclear where police found the meth that Ponto is charged with possessing.
Ponto is being held in Kosciusko County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
