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LIBERTY -- A Youngstown man faces evidence tampering charges after Liberty police noted there was evidence that he swallowed drugs during a traffic stop to avoid apprehension.
Michael Tomlinson, 26, faces charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with evidence in Girard Municipal Court.
According to a police report, an officer monitoring traffic near Fifth Avenue and Mansell Drive on Monday spotted a silver SUV traveling 42 mph in a posted 25 mph zone, noting the vehicle drifted left of center into an oncoming lane.
A random registration check revealed the vehicle's tags expired Aug. 10 and a license plate bracket covered the outer perimeter of the plate, blocking the state, registration tags and county registration sticker.
The officer observed the driver repeatedly reaching toward the vehicle's center console and floor.
Upon pulling Tomlinson over and having him walk toward the officer, he failed to provide a valid Social Security number, and the officer observed visible pick marks on his face and arms consistent with drug abuse, the report states.
Tomlinson told the officer that he was taking his seatbelt off when he moved toward the center console, but the officer noted the movement was inconsistent with such an action.
The vehicle's owner, a passenger, consented to a search, and the officer found a small black bag between the driver and passenger seats, and burnt foil and a cut red straw inside, the report states.
Removing several bits of foil revealed cut straws for ingesting narcotics and a wrapped foil with a paper bindle inside, with a powdery substance suspected by the officer to be narcotics, the report states.
A background check revealed an active arrest warrant for Tomlinson through the Struthers Police Department, along with active failure-to-appear warrants out of Girard Municipal Court.
While being transported to the Trumbull County jail, the report states Tomlinson admitted to using narcotics prior to the stop and swallowing a "rock" of narcotics while pulled over.
The report states the Howland Fire Department was called to their location, and he was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital after he reported ingesting fentanyl and feeling unwell.
Tomlinson did not appear in court Tuesday, according to court records, and a warrant was issued.