Indiana State Police released information about what started as a routine stop to assist a motorist but ended with the discovery of a driver who was unconscious with a syringe still in his arm. The release is below:
On July 12, 2019, around 11:20 p.m., Trooper Nikolos Anderson says he stopped to help what he thought was a disabled motorist that was sitting on the right shoulder of the Indiana Toll Road near the 89.8 mile marker of the westbound lanes. As Anderson approached the black Ford Fusion he saw that the driver appeared to be sleeping. Anderson says he then noticed a syringe cap in the center console and a syringe still stuck in the left forearm of the driver.
During a subsequent search of the vehicle, Anderson located 34 packets of suspected fentanyl, 26 syringes, 8 pills preliminarily identified as methadone, and 2 packets of suspected Suboxen.
The driver, Lance Leffler, 38 of Conway, AR was preliminarily arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Syringe, and Possession of a Legend Drug. Leffler was taken to the Elkhart County Jail.