By Eric Olson, Durham Herald-Sun (North Carolina)
DURHAM, N.C. - A Durham police cruiser crashed into a car allegedly carrying $20,000 worth of cocaine on Interstate 85 Monday night, leading to the arrest of a Georgia man on drug trafficking charges, police said.
The crash, which is being reviewed by the police Professional Standards Division, blocked one lane of northbound I-85 near North Duke Street and snarled traffic for about two hours.
David Yehudah, 24, of Atlanta, was charged with trafficking in cocaine, maintaining a vehicle for the sale or delivery of the drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The incident began when Officer C.A. Wright Jr. responded to an emergency call from an officer with another agency around 10:38 p.m., police said. The call turned out not to be an actual emergency, police said.
Wright was accelerating on the North Duke Street entrance ramp to I-85 north when he lost control of his 2004 Ford Crown Victoria.
The cruiser spun counterclockwise across both northbound lanes of I-85 before the front of the cruiser struck the rear of Yehudah’s 2004 Ford Taurus. The cruiser then crashed into a concrete barrier wall on the left side of the road.
Wright was treated Monday night at Durham Regional Hospital for a minor head injury and released. Yehudah was not injured during the accident.
Officer M.H. Goodwin, of the Traffic Services Unit, grew suspicious of Yehudah when he was investigating the accident, police said.
“Our officers are trained to notice certain things that indicate a possible drug courier,” Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said. “Officer Goodwin noticed several specific indicators. He did an excellent job.”
Goodwin then called for Officer Moses Irving and his police dog, Lars, police said.
Lars examined the vehicle and alerted officers to the trunk, where they found a kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of cocaine worth approximately $20,000, police said.
Yehudah was taken to the Durham County Jail, where a magistrate set his bond at $500,000.
The accident will be reviewed by the Professional Standards Division, which is standard procedure for any accident involving a police vehicle, police said. Wright will return to regular duty when he recovers from the accident, Michael said.
Damage to the cruiser was estimated at $7,500, while the Ford Taurus sustained $4,500 worth of damage.
No traffic charges have been filed and the accident remains under investigation.