Sparta Pair Found With 28 Bags of Heroin, Police Say

Two people are facing drug and theft charges after they were found with heroin in a vehicle they took without the owner's consent, Sparta Township Police said.

According to a department statement, a resident called police at about 2 p.m. Tuesday to her 1997 Mercedes Benz had been taken without her consent. She identified 23-year-old Stephanie P. Herd, of Sparta, as the person driving her car, police said.

About 25 minutes later, a police officer saw the Benz turn into a private driveway on Hillside Road, according to Sgt. John-Paul Beebe. The officer pulled up behind the car and approached the driver, who turned out to be Herd, and a front-seat passenger, Christopher Mullen, 27, of Sparta.

The officer, who had a signed document from the owner giving him consent to search the vehicle, found 28 bags of heroin labeled “KNOCKOUT,” Beebe said. Herd was also found with a stolen bank check and a credit card.  

Herd and Mullen were arrested and taken to headquarters for processing, Beebe said. 

Herd was charged with heroin possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of theft of movable property, possession of a controlled substance in a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent and knowingly using a stolen credit card, the sergeant said. Mullen was charged with heroin possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent.

The two were released on their own recognizance pending a Thursday appearance in Sparta Municipal Court, Beebe said.