CALERA, Okla. — Two men, one a paramedic and EMS instructor, were charged with drug trafficking after being pulled over during a routine traffic stop.
Brian Coates, the former assistant director of EMS for Atoka County, a part-time EMT in Marshall County, and an instructor of EMS classes at Kiamichi Technology Center, was found with 12 grams of methamphetamine and a couple grams of cocaine in clear plastic bags, KXII.com reports.
He allegedly told police “I’ve never seen anything like that,” Calera Police Chief Don Hyde said.
Coates, who was driving, and passenger Conner Osborne were pulled over when an officer noticed something was blocking the last letter of the license plate on their vehicle. Coates told the officer it was an LED light that he uses because he’s a paramedic.
The officer said in his report that Coates and Osborne were sweating and appeared nervous. They said they drove from Durant to Calera to get a Dr. Pepper at the Dollar General store because the Wal-Mart in Durant is “always too busy.”
The officer called for a K-9 unit to sniff their vehicle. “The dog alerted on the vehicle,” Hyde said, and the officer discovered the drugs.
“People make mistakes; you’re going to have those in any profession,” Hyde said. “We just hope that people move on, get past this, and continue to believe in their medical, law enforcement and public safety, and that when they call they’ll get the right person.”