Cassopolis Police Officer Kyle Hart stopped a black GMC SUV for an equipment violation While on patrol, Oct. 6.

As Hart made contact with the driver he noticed the strong smell of marijuana coming from the interior of the SUV.

According to Cassopolis Police Chief Brian La Valle, a male driver and female passenger were removed from the vehicle while a search was done.

During the search, officers found meth-making items, packaged meth, packaged marijuana, scales, packaging materials, a semi-automatic pistol and more than $20,000 in cash.

Arrested were Bryan Bailey, 37, of Cassopolis, and Tonya Ouimet, 35, of Warsaw, Indiana.

Bailey and Ouimet were arraigned on eight counts each Oct. 10 and are scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

The pair were charged with operating and maintaining a lab involving meth, delivering and manufacturing meth, possession of meth, delivering and manufacturing marijuana, maintaining a drug house, felony firearms and possession of marijuana.

“The stop was at 1:15 a.m. and I got a call from the officer because he needed some assistance,” La Valle said. “I arrived at the traffic stop location about 4:45 a.m. He needed the help with the vehicle because it was top to bottom full of drug paraphanalia, food, clothing and luggage. There was no room to even get through to the driver and passenger. He had a big mess on his hands as far as trying to search the vehicle.”

After transferring one of the defendants to the Cass County Jail, La Valle told Hart they needed to take the vehicle to a secure location with proper lighting to continue to investigation.

“We ended up having to impound it and take it to our police parking, which is a secure facility,” La Valle said. “While we were doing that the officer was able to go back to the office and start his report. There were an awful a lot of things to do. All the evidence had to be logged in.”

La Valle said that the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team helped with logging in evidence. The department was also assisted by the K-9 Team and Pokagon Tribal Police.

“The stop was at 1:15 a.m. and I got a call from the officer because he needed some assistance,” La Valle said. “I arrived at the traffic stop location about 4:45 a.m. He needed the help with the vehicle because it was top to bottom full of drug paraphanalia, food, clothing and luggage. There was no room to even get through to the driver and passenger. He had a big mess on his hands as far as trying to search the vehicle.”

After transferring one of the defendants to the Cass County Jail, La Valle told Hart they needed to take the vehicle to a secure location with proper lighting to continue to investigation.

“We ended up having to impound it and take it to our police parking, which is a secure facility,” La Valle said. “While we were doing that the officer was able to go back to the office and start his report. There were an awful a lot of things to do. All the evidence had to be logged in.”

La Valle said that the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team helped with logging in evidence. The department was also assisted by the K-9 Team and Pokagon Tribal Police.