Dayton Woman Charged in Mercer County After Traffic Stop Leads to Drug Discovery

CELINA, Ohio — A Dayton woman is facing felony and misdemeanor charges in Mercer County following a traffic stop Sunday afternoon on U.S. Route 127.

According to an affidavit filed in the Mercer County Common Pleas Court, Sharon L. Riley, 58, of Dayton, was pulled over around 4:00 p.m. on November 9 after a sheriff’s deputy reported seeing a vehicle with obstructed license plates. The deputy followed the vehicle northbound on U.S. 127 before it turned into the parking lot of Shipyard, located at 6301 South Main Street in Celina.

During the stop, the deputy identified Riley as the driver and the only person inside the vehicle. Court documents indicate Riley told the deputy she was not permitted to drive using the license she had. While deputies checked her information, dispatch advised that she had an active warrant out of Montgomery County for possession of cocaine.

Riley was taken into custody on that warrant. A narcotics K-9 unit was brought to the scene, and deputies say the dog alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered a tube with burnt residue under the driver’s seat, along with a small bag in Riley’s purse that contained smoking pipes, steel wool (commonly referred to as “chore boy”), and a small container with suspected crack cocaine.

Deputies say Riley was read her Miranda rights and admitted that the substance found was crack cocaine.

Riley has been formally charged with:

• Possession of Cocaine (Fifth-Degree Felony)

• Illegal Use or Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Fourth-Degree Misdemeanor)

The case was filed November 10 in the Mercer County Court of Common Pleas, Criminal Division.

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