ALTOONA, PA — Police arrested a man on drug charges after a traffic stop early Wednesday morning on the 600 block of Bell Avenue.
Officers with the Altoona Police Department Narcotics Unit stopped a black Dodge Journey operated by Kendall Patterson around 3 a.m. on July 2.
The traffic stop was the result of an ongoing narcotics investigation involving suspected drug trafficking between Philadelphia and Altoona.
During the stop, officers detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.
K-9 Blue of the Altoona Police Department was deployed and alerted to the odor of narcotics inside the vehicle.
K-9 Blue is not trained to detect marijuana.
Following the K-9 alert, Patterson told officers he had cocaine hidden in his shoe.
Officers recovered a small zip-top bag containing approximately 16 grams of suspected cocaine from inside Patterson’s shoe.
Patterson was taken into custody without incident.
The vehicle was secured and towed pending application for a search warrant.
After the warrant was obtained and executed, Patterson’s cellphone was also seized as part of the ongoing investigation.
The Altoona Police Department Narcotics Unit was assisted by the Tyrone Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.
