Police: Woman traveling with 500 grams of marijuana

K-9 Officer Chesapeake Cyndi is helping Webster Parish sheriff’s deputies take drugs off the streets.

Laportia Renee Willis, 33, of the 500 block of Moore Street in Springhill, was arrested Wednesday and charged with improper lane usage, possession with intent to distribute Schedule I CDS (marijuana) and driving under suspension.

According to reports, Webster Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Wade Wells conducted a traffic stop on Highway 371 for improper lane usage. Capt. Robert Hayden says Willis appeared to be acting in a nervous manner, which prompted Wells to call him in with Chesapeake Cyndi.

“She was not being straight with the deputy when he was talking to her,” Hayden said. “Due to her actions, something just didn’t feel right with him, and he called and asked me to bring (Chesapeake) Cyndi.”

Hayden says he took her around the car and she kept going back to the trunk area.

“Once she did that, we looked in the trunk and found the (suspected) weed back there,” he said.

According to reports, roughly 500 grams of suspected marijuana was discovered. That equates to about one pound of marijuana, Hayden says. Willis was placed under arrest, and during questioning, she reportedly admitted to ownership of the suspected marijuana.

Chesapeake Cyndi is 8- years-old and has been trained strictly as a narcotics K-9 officer. Hayden, who has partnered with her for six years, says she is trained to sniff out marijuana, heroin, methamphetamines and cocaine.

Chesapeake Cyndi was given to the sheriff’s office several years ago in efforts to better equip the law enforcement agency in its fight against drugs.

Deputies Wells and Charles Clark made the initial traffic stop. Hayden was called to the scene, and after Chesapeake Cyndi alerted to the drugs,
Deputies Tommy Zilliner, Bobby Igo III and Joel Thomas came to the scene and took the case from there.

Willis was transported to Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center and booked on the above charges.