A pedestrian stop in Minden led to multiple drug and obstruction charges after a man allegedly resisted arrest and attempted to discard narcotics during a struggle with officers, according to a Minden Police Department report.
Police said an officer was patrolling Constable Street on July 1 when he observed Johnathon Langley, 36, walking on the wrong side of the roadway, a pedestrian traffic violation.
According to the report, the officer initiated a field investigation and conducted a pat-down for officer safety. Police said Langley voluntarily emptied his pockets, removing a box cutter, two torch lighters, and a clear plastic bag containing suspected methamphetamine and synthetic marijuana.
Officers reported that Langley then attempted to place the baggies back into his pocket. As officers moved to take him into custody, Langley allegedly began resisting, pushing away from a patrol vehicle and telling officers to “look over there, look at that man.”
Police said a brief struggle followed, during which Langley continued resisting after being taken to the ground. Officers reported that Langley concealed one of his hands in his waistband and refused repeated commands to show his hands.
According to the report, an officer struck Langley twice in the shoulder in an attempt to gain compliance before deploying a Taser out of concern he could be reaching for a weapon.
Police said Langley then removed his hand from his waistband and threw a bag containing suspected methamphetamine into a nearby wooded area. Officers later recovered the narcotics along the path of the struggle. Wrapping paper commonly used to smoke narcotics was also found on Langley’s person, according to the report.
Emergency medical personnel responded to remove the Taser probes and evaluated Langley at the scene before clearing him for transport.
At the Minden Police Department, the suspected methamphetamine tested positive and weighed approximately 0.5 grams, while the synthetic marijuana weighed approximately 1.4 grams, according to police.
Langley was booked into the Minden City Jail before being transferred to Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center.
He was charged with pedestrians on roadways, possession of Schedule I synthetic marijuana, possession of Schedule II methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of resisting an officer with force, and felony obstruction of justice.
All subjects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.