(La Porte County, IN) - An apparent cocaine user has been charged after being stopped for traffic violations by La Porte County Police.

 

33-year-old James Eden was pulled over on the Indiana Toll Road a week ago outside La Porte. Police noted that he appeared nervous and his voice trembled as he spoke, which led an officer at the scene to ask if he had anything illegal in his Honda Civic.

 

Initially, he denied having anything illegal in his possession but revealed he had a small amount of cocaine when told a K-9 dog would conduct a search. Authorities stated that one gram of cocaine inside a bag was seized in addition to a number of used hypodermic needles, a spoon containing a brown residue, and a piece of cotton. A spoon is commonly used to liquefy drugs prior to injection.

 

Police said the traffic stop was made because Eden repeatedly changed lanes without using his turn signal a total of four times.

 

The Colorado man told investigators he was returning home after visiting his mother in New Jersey after she had hip surgery, police said further.