EAST FISHKILL, NY — A traffic stop on the Taconic State Parkway led to the seizure of more than 1,000 grams of cocaine and the arrest of a Poughkeepsie man.
Members of the New York State Police Troop K Community Stabilization Unit stopped a 2025 Chevrolet traveling northbound near mile marker 43 at approximately 12:34 p.m. April 20, 2026, for violations of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.
The operator and sole occupant was identified as Rasheed K. Wheeless, 46, of Poughkeepsie.
During the investigation, State Police K-9 Fortini conducted an exterior scan of the vehicle, which resulted in a positive alert for the presence of narcotics.
A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 1,169.4 grams of cocaine.
Wheeless was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 1st degree, a class A-I felony; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 3rd degree (intent to sell), a class B felony; obstructing governmental administration in the 2nd degree, a class A misdemeanor; and violations of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.
Wheeless was arraigned in the Town of East Fishkill Court and remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center.
