Suspects arrested for meth in Moniteau County

K-9 Mizzou has been protecting Moniteau County as a member of the sheriff's department. (Submitted photo)
K-9 Mizzou has been protecting Moniteau County as a member of the sheriff's department. (Submitted photo)

Moniteau County Sheriff Tony Wheatley says a substantial dent in illegal drug trafficking was made this week with the arrest of three people involved in two investigations. 

Two suspects were transported to the county jail Tuesday after authorities allegedly found a large amount of methamphetamine in their vehicle while it was parked in Tipton.

The sheriff reports William A.L. Crabtree, 26, Russellville, and Kyra L. Hankey, 20, Tipton, each face a first-degree drug trafficking charge with bond set at $250,000 apiece.

Deputies responded Tuesday to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked in a field east of Tipton. On their way, deputies noticed a vehicle leaving the area and notified Tipton police. A short time later, the suspect vehicle was located in the parking lot of a Tipton apartment complex.

After contacting three people inside the vehicle, officers deployed the sheriff's department's drug-sniffing dog named Mizzou, who reportedly alerted them to the presence of narcotics. Officers arrested the two suspects after they found approximately 325 grams of methamphetamine inside the vehicle with an estimated street value of more than $30,000.

Also on Tuesday, a Tipton man was arrested after officers allegedly found methamphetamine in his backpack and residence.

The sheriff reports Seth J. Haldiman, 26, was transported to the county jail and faces two counts of delivery of a controlled substance with bond set at $50,000.

Officers were called to a Tipton business where they allegedly recovered a backpack containing methamphetamine which the suspect left in the store. Deputies reviewed video footage from the store to confirm the suspect's identity. 

Deputies, city police and members of the Mid-Missouri Drug Force then went to the suspect's residence, where they contacted him, obtained consent to search, and turned up additional meth and drug paraphernalia.

"As you can see from previous arrests, the Moniteau County Sheriff's Office nor its citizens will tolerate the flow of illegal drugs into this county," Wheatley wrote in a news release. "If you choose to try and do so, then you can expect to be caught and brought to justice."