COLUMBUS, Ind. — A driver faces several charges after deputies said they found a stolen handgun during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Bartholomew County.
According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were sent to I-65 near the Taylorsville Rest Area just before 7:30 p.m. Monday after a caller reported a gray Dodge Ram pickup weaving across the highway and nearly hitting a semitrailer. The caller also said the truck repeatedly changed speeds and continued driving erratically.
Deputies found the truck just south of Exit 64 and saw it weaving in its lane. They stopped the driver, later identified as Melvin Earls, 58, of Indianapolis near the State Road 58 exit.
During the investigation, Earls told deputies his driver’s license had been suspended. Deputies also said they smelled marijuana coming from the truck and searched it.
Deputies say a records check showed Earls had a felony conviction. During the search, they found a handgun in a storage compartment. The gun had been reported stolen in Indianapolis, according to deputies. Earls was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for a blood draw.
Earls was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail, where he was held on suspicion of operating while intoxicated with a prior conviction, driving while suspended with a prior conviction, unlawful possession of a firearm and theft of a firearm.
Earls remained in custody on a 48-hour hold while authorities prepared formal charges, according to the release. The investigation remains ongoing.
