Rochester man arrested for drugs chews pills on the way to Olmsted jail

(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester man faces drug charges after a traffic stop Monday.

At about 4:18 p.m. Aug. 8, Rochester police pulled a vehicle over because of expired registration and a quick lane change with no signal on 37th Street NW.

The vehicle was "slow to stop," Capt. Casey Moilanen with the Rochester Police Department said, and drove onto Highway 52, proceeding down the on ramp before pulling over.

The car contained a 19-year-old driver, 18- and 19-year-old passengers, and 23-year-old Kanell Powers.

Moilanen said the occupants were "moving around quite a bit" in the time between the officers turning their lights on and the traffic stop.

As the officers looked into the car, they claim they saw prescription drugs and other paraphernalia near the front passenger seat.

Powers, who was in the front passenger seat, was removed from the vehicle.

After searching the car, the officers discovered what could be prescription drugs or counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl or another substance. They arrested Powers and began taking him to the Adult Detention Center.

All of the teenagers were released.

On the way to the jail, the officers allege that Powers was "moving around quite a bit" again in the backseat, and appeared to be chewing something.

The officers pulled over and Powers spat out what they claim was M30 pills. Powers allegedly told officers he didn’t swallow any of the pills, and was chewing 8-10 ectasy and oxycodone tablets so he wasn’t caught with them.

Moilanen said the officers found four unchewed M30 pills, which may contain fentanyl, as well as one ecstasy pill and eszopiclone, a sedative commonly used to treat insomnia.

The officers took Powers to St. Marys, where he was medically cleared to go to the jail.

Powers faces charges of 4th- and 5th-degree controlled substance possession.