FREEDOM TWP — Authorities found five pounds of suspected methamphetamine during a traffic stop along the Ohio Turnpike in Portage County on Wednesday, leading to federal drug charges against a driver.
Portage County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped a silver Nissan Versa traveling east on Interstate 80 near the Brady’s Leap Service Plaza in Freedom Township. The deputy who made the stop said that the vehicle committed several traffic violations.
The driver, 42-year-old Derek Mountz, allowed deputies to search the vehicle. During the search, deputies found five vacuum-sealed bags hidden under the front passenger seat. Each bag contained one pound of a crystal substance. A field test showed the substance was methamphetamine. The total weight was about 2,220 grams, which is nearly five pounds…