Marion’s arrest leads to drug seizure

MARION, Ind. – An early morning traffic stop in Marion resulted in a pursuit and ended with a large quantity of drugs on the street.

On July 6, shortly after 2:30 a.m., Marion police officers attempted to stop a car on South Washington Street. Officers said the car initially pulled over to the side of the road, but the driver then fled the scene at a speeding speed.

Police said the suspect, now identified as 37-year-old Courtney Johnson, headed east on 30th Street to Lincoln Boulevard, where they say he knocked a person riding a moped off the road.

Police said Johnson continued to speed, eventually crashing into a tree near Tri-County Storage on East 54th Street. Johnson got out of the wrecked car and ran about 200 feet from the crash site. That’s when a Grant County Sheriff’s Department dog found him. Johnson was taken into custody without incident.

Marion police said they found drugs in Johnson’s car, including 590 grams of methamphetamine, 113 grams of fentanyl and marijuana.

Johnson is charged with two felony counts: drug trafficking, resisting law enforcement and criminal recklessness.

In a news release, Marion police said Johnson had a suspended license and was on parole for aggravated violent felony in possession of a handgun. He was taken to the Grant County Jail.