Woman arrested on felony drug charge following traffic stop
A Hot Springs woman was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges Sunday following a routine traffic stop after drugs were allegedly found in her possession.
Theresa Elaine Rodinsky, 46, was taken into custody shortly before 5 p.m. and charged with a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, meth, punishable by up to six years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance involving pills, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Rodinsky, who was also cited for driving a vehicle with no or expired registration and driving on a suspended driver’s license, was later released on a $3,500 bond and is set to appear March 5 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 5 p.m., Hot Springs police Officer Austin Morphew saw a white Cadillac Escalade traveling on Tillayer Street approaching Cash Street and a computer check showed the vehicle to have an expired registration so he pulled it over in the 100 block of Cash Street.
Before approaching the vehicle, Morphew allegedly observed the driver “making several movements and looking around the inside of the vehicle.” He then made contact with the driver, identified as Rodinsky, and dispatchers told him she had a nonextraditable warrant for drug charges.
Rodinsky was allegedly “acting very nervous” as Morphew talked to her and “would not make eye contact” and kept asking for someone to come get her vehicle even though at that point Morphew had not told her she would be arrested.
Rodinsky allegedly gave consent for Morphew to search the vehicle and he reportedly found a plastic baggie under the driver’s seat which contained three white pills later identified as Xanax so she was taken into custody.
In searching further, he allegedly found another baggie in the center of the dash near the radio which contained 1.6 grams of what later tested positive for meth.
When questioned after being read her rights, Rodinsky said the pills were not hers and belonged to a family member.