Helpful Technology Turns Verdigris Traffic Stop Into Drug Bust

Verdigris police say technology in their patrol cars turned a traffic stop into a meth and marijuana bust.

The officer working on this had an instinct to rewind his dashcam video, and he was able to do that with the click of a button.

It all started on Highway 66 when an officer tried pulling Candius Williams over for a traffic stop.

She pulled into a mobile home park, and the officer asked Brant Ford, who is a convicted felon, to get out. He did, and started running.

Verdigris Police Chief Jack Shackelford said, "He had a loaded handgun on him, which is a very dangerous situation for the officer, being by himself and out on patrol by himself. It's a pretty risky deal."

Shackelford said the officer used his Taser to stop Ford.

"Actually had to give him another burst on the Taser after the first one wore off - had to give him another one and he finally complied and we took him into custody," the chief said.

When the officer got back to his car, Shackelford said he had a feeling Williams was up to something while he was busy chasing Ford.

"I don't know if it was just the way she was sitting in the car, or maybe she moved in the car or exactly what queued him in to rewind the video," Shackelford said.

So he decided to pick up his remote control and rewind his dashcam video, which plays in his rear view mirror.

In the video, he said he watched Williams get out of the car and give a bag full of drug paraphernalia to John Coffman, who is also a convicted felon, and lives at the mobile home park.

Inside his trailer, police found several baggies of meth and marijuana, smoking pipes, scales, and a loaded semi-automatic.

Inside Williams’ car, the officer also found a Hughes County Sheriff's Office jacket, a bulletproof vest and a wooden baton.

Shackelford said, "We don't know what their intent was, but I'm sure it wasn't for the best purposes."

The Hughes County Sheriff Office said the jacket is out-of-date for their department and the bulletproof vest didn't belong to them.

The chief said they might use the vest if it meets their standards.