Sheriff’s Office arrests two for CDS possession after traffic stop
On April 29th, 2024, at approximately 2:51pm, a Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was on patrol in the area of Taneytown Pike and Hughes Shop Road in Westminster when he observed a silver Chrysler Town and County van travelling at what appeared to be greater than the posted 55 mile per hour limit, which was confirmed with the vehicle’s RADAR unit.
The Deputy initiated a traffic stop and found that both the driver and front seat passenger did not have valid driver’s licenses, and the driver’s information was showing a potential arrest warrant from Frederick County, which was later confirmed.
Based on this information and the Deputy’s observations, the driver, identified as Brian Keith Smeltzer, a 52 year old male from Hedgesville, Maryland, was detained and a Canine was requested to conduct a scan for CDS. A Canine Unit from Westminster Police Department arrived on scene and conducted the scan, resulting in a positive alert.
During the subsequent search of the vehicle, the passenger, identified as Samantha Renae Arbogast, a 43 year old female from Clear Brooke, Virginia, was observed throwing an item under the Deputy’s patrol vehicle. She was also detained, and the item was found to be a green plastic container with suspected crack cocaine.
During the search of the vehicle, the Deputy located a large plastic bag with approximately 100 empty gel capsules, 61 grams of suspected fentanyl, 33 grams of suspected cocaine, .5 grams of suspected crack cocaine, and a digital scale. Smeltzer was also found to have over $1,000 of U.S. currency in various denominations.
Both Smeltzer and Arbogast were transported to Carroll County Central Booking and charged with:
CDS Possession with intent to distribute narcotic
CDS Possession, not cannabis (2 counts)
Possession of CDS paraphernalia (2 counts)
Additionally, Smeltzer was issued traffic citations based on the initial stop and license issues.
(All individuals are presumed innocent of the pending charges until proven guilty in a court of law)
Arbogast was subsequently released on recognizance. At the time of this news release, Smeltzer remains in the custody of the Carroll County Detention Center. Once released from CCDC, Smeltzer will be extradited to Frederick County to satisfy the warrant.
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Area of incident: Taneytown Pike and Hughes Shop Road in Westminster
Original post:
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