Traffic stop nets drugs, 2 arrests

A traffic stop in North Little Rock turned up 109 grams of Ecstasy and methamphetamine Thursday after a driver running from police threw two plastic bags containing the drugs into the Arkansas River, a police spokesman said.

North Little Rock police spokesman Sgt. Amy Cooper said officers attempted to make a traffic stop at 10:50 a.m. Thursday near Arkansas 161 and Interstate 40, but Michael Lawrence Scales, the 39-year-old driver, fled.

Officers pursued Scales onto the Interstate 30 westbound Arkansas River bridge, where Scales threw the two bags over the side of the bridge and into the river, Cooper said in a news release.

Officers blocked the path of Scales and his passenger, Robert Lee Battles, 33, near the Cantrell Road exit and arrested them without incident, an arrest report said.

North Little Rock Fire Department officials aided police in recovering the tossed bags, which contained 22 grams of methamphetamine and 87 grams of Ecstasy, the release said. Officers said in an arrest report that the drugs were packaged for selling or distribution.

Both men were charged with possession of methamphetamine with purpose to deliver, possession of a Schedule I drug with purpose to deliver and tamper-

ing with physical evidence, the release said. Scales was also charged with fleeing from police.

Battles and Scales were in the Pulaski County jail with no bail set as of Thursday evening.