MARGIE TRAX PAGE
GENEVA - - A Geneva man faces drug abuse charges after a K-9 officer detected methamphetamine during a routine traffic stop Monday night.
Carl Wortman, 51, of Geneva, was weaving down Route 20 at 9 p.m. when Patrolman Mike Palinkas initiated a traffic stop. Palinkas noticed Wortman was acting nervous and had glassy eyes, police reports show.
Wortman's juvenile child was also in the car, reports show.
Palinkas called for Patrolman Chris Cahill and his K-9 partner Omar, who alerted the officers to the presence of a narcotic, police said.
Palinkas searched Wortman and found a small plastic bag of methamphetamine in Wortman's wallet.
Wortman denied ownership of the drugs and said he did not know how the plastic bag got in his wallet, police reports show.
Wortman became agitated as the officers searched his car. He was handcuffed and placed in a police cruiser, reports show.
The officers didn't find any more drugs, but they did locate a "drug ledger," or list of names and prices, in the car, reports show.
The officers seized $537 in cash and .70 grams of meth, reports show.
Wortman was taken to the Geneva City Jail and was arraigned on class five felony drug abuse charges Tuesday in Western County Court. He has since posted bond and will return to Judge Richard Stevens' courtroom March 5 for a preliminary hearing, court records show.
