Drugs and drug-related objects were found during a routine traffic stop Feb. 3 on North Columbia Street near Meriweather Road.
While on patrol, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Deputy Alex Rickey observed a Ford Mustang traveling south and checked its tag to find the registered owner was unlicensed. He pulled the vehicle over and identified the driver as Mark Blaha, the registered owner.
Blaha told Rickey his New York driver’s license was suspended. The driver was asked to step out of the Mustang and walk to the patrol car.
Blaha consented to a search, and the deputy found what he believed to be a glass pipe. When questioned, the driver said it was a pen.
Rickey told Blaha to remove the item from his pocket and confirmed it was a glass pipe. Blaha was placed in handcuffs. The deputy asked if the driver had anything else, but he responded no.
Rickey performed a search on the car and found two contact lens holders with methamphetamine, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine. Blaha was advised he was under arrest for the drugs and glass pipe. He was transported to the jail, and a towing company took possession of the Mustang.