Loud Muffler Leads to Drug Charges

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports the arrest of a pair of Mahopac men on drug charges.

Members of the Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Enforcement Unit were patrolling along Secor Road in Mahopac at about 9:45 p.m. Feb. 16 when they pulled over a car with a loud muffler.

During the ensuing traffic stop, the deputies allege, they found the driver, Ryan Olsen, 29, of Crane Road, and a passenger, Jesse Hitchcock, 29, of Center Drive, in possession of a quantity of cocaine, heroin and hypodermic needles.

The deputies charged both men with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree and with Criminally Possessing a Hypodermic Instrument, class A misdemeanors. Both were processed and released on their own recognizance pending future appearances in the Town of Carmel Justice Court. If found guilty of the charges, each could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 on each count.