Luther Police Arrest Two For Possession Of Illegal Drugs

A traffic stop turns into a drug bust and it's a crime one metro police department says is on the rise.  Luther police are cracking down, hoping to stop drug crimes before they escalate. 

It happened around 4 p.m. Saturday, when one officer pulled over a vehicle for an improper signal.  

Inside, he found Sean Grant and Candice Torres with more than 8 grams of meth and over 50 grams of marijuana. 

"We're really trying to hit home on the CDS," said Johnny Leafty, Luther Police Chief. "Since January of 2020, we've had 83 arrests alone for CDS." 

Grant was arrested for driving under suspension, possession of marijuana, and Torres for possession of meth, hydrocodone, and public intoxication. Police say this is a pattern they're seeing more often. 

"It leads to property crimes, violent crimes, leads to other crimes," said Leafty. "We're really proactive in that, that's one thing where we really focus a lot of attention." 

The department says on average, it conducts between 90 and 95 traffic stops a month. Out of those, officers give around 40-45 citations, and a majority are drug arrests. 

"I think part of it has to do with the economy," Leafty said. "Anytime the economy turns down, we've noticed a lot more property crime, a lot more CDS." 

Police tell me Grant also had prior drug and robbery warrants out of Oklahoma County. Investigators say it's important to crack down on drug cases. 

"It's led to bigger things," Leafty says. "Including one trafficking case." 

Both Grant and Torres were booked into the Lincoln County Jail.