Suspected Meth Found On Man That Ran From Cops In Solon

SOLON, OH — Methamphetamine and a smoking pipe were found on a man who was stopped for a traffic violation in Solon this week. The suspect ran from police after his vehicle stopped, but he was tracked down by a K9 unit and helpful Solon residents.

A loud exhaust prompted police to stop a car on Aurora Road, near Liberty Road, at about 4:40 p.m. on July 31. There were two people inside the vehicle and they both spoke with officers, sharing their identities.

When the officer returned to his cruiser to verify the two peoples' identities, the passenger in the car jumped out and took off running. A resident spotted the man in a nearby driveway and called police. A K9 unit from Oakwood Village was then brought in and tracked the suspect. Police took the runner, a 51-year-old man from Aurora, into custody a short while later.

That man is being charged with drug abuse, possession of drug paraphernalia, carrying a concealed weapon (for a knife found in the car), obstructing official business and not wearing a seatbelt. The driver, a Florida man, was issued a citation for having an open container of alcohol in the car. The driver never left the car, according to information provided by Solon police.

County officials have said meth use has seen a "disturbing" spike in 2018.

"Methamphetamine, a powerful stimulant, is becoming more prevalent in the seized drugs we are analyzing. We have not seen an increase in deaths from methamphetamine – our overarching problem there remains the opioids like fentanyl and the re-emergence of cocaine," said Cuyahoga County examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson in a statement issued in February. "But the appearance of methamphetamine is disturbing, as it has disastrous effects on people's personal health and social well-being."

Two types of methamphetamine are seeing an uptick in usage: meth tablets (fake ecstasy pills) and crystal meth. In 2017, the county seized 135 fake ecstasy pills. That's up from 77 in 2016. The Medical Examiner's Office also analyzed 181 crystal meth seizures, up from 37 in 2016.

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