Beatrice Police make two holiday weekend arrests

BEATRICE – Police doing a welfare check Sunday evening on a man reported to be slumped over doors in his vehicle at a supermarket parking lot, eventually arrested the man for suspected drug violations.

When a Beatrice Police Officer told the man he was there for a welfare check, the man said he was getting ready to fix a flat tire.  Asked how long he had been there, the man said about an hour-and-a-half.

Police said the man was agitated and appeared to be upset that police were checking on him.   Police had a K-9 brought to the scene and determined there was probable cause to conduct a search of the vehicle.  Police located some burnt, red straws in the passenger side door, with burnt residue that field tested as suspected methamphetamine.

Police arrested 61-year-old Rory McGrory of Steele City, on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Saturday, local police arrested a driver they believed was intoxicated, after an officer had observed three vehicles leaving a local bar where the drivers had been offered rides home, because of possible intoxication.

The three vehicles were followed by a police officer and the last vehicle to leave…a Ford F-150 pickup….was observed swerving noticeably.

An officer caught up to the truck near Sumner and West Court, observing the truck to cross the centerline. The officer attempted to stop  the pickup at West Court and Graham, but the driver then briefly accelerated, slowed to the pace of traffic….but failed to yield until reaching West Court and Highway Four.  He eventually pulled into the parking lot of ESU-Number 5.  An officer observed the driver to climb over the center console of the truck, into the passenger seat.

Police took the driver into custody and observed him to be unsteady while walking and having slurred speech.

A search of the pickup by police located a bottle of whiskey and a bag of THC gummies.

38-year-old Edward Wesley, the Second, was arrested on suspicion of DUI-4^th offense, possession of marijuana, having no operator’s license, and obstructing police. 

A check of the driver’s criminal history showed two prior DUI convictions in Florida in 2011 and one more recent DUI conviction in Missouri.  Wesley was found to have a revoked Florida driver’s license.