Owatonna Police Dog Assists in Drug Arrest
Mention Vegas right now in Minnesota, and Wild fans might cringe. Say Vegas around a motorist with drugs in their car in Owatonna, and a different kind of concern comes to mind. Owatonna's police dog was called into action during a recent traffic stop that led to a drug arrest.
In Just the Facts newsletter from the Owatonna Police Department (OPD), an officer pulled over a male driver he recognized as having a revoked license. The officer noticed signs of drug use "and received conflicting stories from the driver and female passenger-based on these observations, our narcotic detective canine Vegas was summoned."
Bags with drugs were turned over to authorities. Probation officers conducted a search of the home of the female passenger, finding methamphetamine. Forty-six year-old Timothy Smith and 45-year-old Tawna Johnson, both of Owatonna, were arrested on possession charges.
A previous Just the Facts announced the hiring of a familiar face to the OPD. Kyle Martin, who served as a Community Service Officer from 2014 to 2016. He is back in town as a police officer after spending the last five years in Madelia. Martin is a Faribault graduate and holds a degree from Riverland Community College.
The hiring of Martin came on the heels of a recent report of the retirement of officer Todd Schwanke after a long law enforcement career. Just the Facts stated he "had a remarkable public service career, serving as a deputy and sergeant with the Steele County Sheriff's Office, the US Department of Veteran's Affairs Police Department and since April 2019, as an officer with the Owatonna Police Department." Schwanke is a US Army veteran who served in three active overseas deployments.
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