Police dog finds drugs, cash

After deploying K-9 Stash, MARMET detectives found "a large amount" of pills as well as cocaine and marijuana during a Wednesday traffic stop, according to a press release from Lt. Chris Adkins.

Dublin resident Petar Auob, 23, was arrested and charged in Marion Municipal Court with trafficking in drugs, a third-degree felony, on Thursday.

Auob was pulled over around 11:30 a.m., according to the press release. An initial investigation was conducted before Stash's search, and he led detectives to 447 Xanax pills, 17 grams of marijuana and 2.1 grams of cocaine. Detectives also seized $1,804 and the vehicle, a 2012 Volkswagen Passat.

A municipal court hearing is scheduled for April 14, although felony-level charges in Marion Municipal Court generally are a precursor to a Marion County grand jury indictment and subsequent trial in Marion County Common Pleas Court.

Auob had no previous charges in Marion County Common Pleas Court or in Delaware, Franklin or Union County Common Pleas courts, all of which have jurisdiction over parts of Dublin.

The Dublin Mayor's Court showed Auob had September 2013 convictions for drug abuse and possession of drug paraphernalia and received a $550 fine.

Stash joined the Marion Police Department in May 2015 through community donations and is the department's drug-specific dog. His handler is Detective Andrew Isom.

"Sheriff Tim Bailey, Chief Bill Collins and Prosecutor Brent Yager continue to provide the resources needed to help Marion fight the drug epidemic which ... has taken a strong hold over our community," Adkins said in the news release.

Originally published in the Marion Star on April 8, 2016.