Rogers County Sheriff's Office's drug dog finds $31,000 in cash
BY ZACK STOYCOFF World Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
1/24/12 at 5:41 AM
A Rogers County Sheriff's Office drug dog found $31,000 in cash during a traffic stop early Sunday in Catoosa, authorities said.
The dog apparently smelled drug residue on the bills, but the vehicle's three occupants were not arrested because police had no evidence that they were involved in a drug deal, Sheriff Scott Walton said.
Authorities seized a little more than $25,000, he said.
"About any money is tainted," Walton said.
"It's pretty amazing. Money has obviously got everything on it. When you get a lot of money together, then that smell increases."
An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper had stopped the vehicle, which had Texas plates, for speeding on Interstate 44 near 193rd East Avenue and questioned its occupants, who had different stories about where they had been, Walton said.
They agreed to let the trooper search their vehicle, and the trooper called in the drug dog. The money was found in two plastic bags, Walton said.
The occupants signed an affidavit to release their ownership claims to the $25,000, he said. They said the rest belonged to them.
They had conflicting accounts of how they got the money, he said.
"Their explanation was evasive," he said. "They said everything except that this was dirty money.
"They did everything except fill in all the blanks."
If the money is not claimed within 30 days, it will be split between the Highway Patrol, the Sheriff's Office and the Rogers County District Attorney's Office, Walton said.
"It was a great opportunity for us to work together, and hopefully it will be a profitable day for" the agencies that were involved, he said.
Original Print Headline: Rogers County sheriff's drug dog finds $31,000 in cash
Zack Stoycoff 918-581-8486
zack.stoycoff@tulsaworld.com
