Plymouth Police make 5 traffic-related arrests over weekend

Plymouth Police Department officers made five traffic-related arrests between Saturday, June 27th, and Tuesday, June 30th, with charges ranging from driving with a suspended license to resisting law enforcement.

The weekend's first incident began Saturday when Plymouth Police were notified of an impaired and reckless driver on U.S. 30 at Pioneer Drive. Officers located the suspect vehicle at the intersection of Jefferson and Fifth Streets and initiated a traffic stop. As Officer Baker approached the vehicle, the driver and passenger were observed swapping seats. The original driver was asked to exit the vehicle and became combative, resulting in a brief struggle before the suspect was successfully detained without injury.

The driver, identified as Jesse Garcia of Illinois, was booked into the Marshall County Jail on charges of driving with a suspended license with a prior conviction, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting law enforcement. He was held on a $750 cash bond.

Sunday afternoon, Patrolman Thornton observed a vehicle pull into the Red D Mart and followed up by entering the store, where he located the driver sitting inside on his phone. A consensual conversation revealed that 64-year-old Cerafin Gonzalez of Plymouth had never been issued a driver's license. Gonzalez was taken into custody and transported to the Marshall County Jail on a charge of operating a vehicle without ever obtaining a license.

Also on Sunday afternoon, at 2:22 p.m., Officer Krynock stopped a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Marco Antonio Salinas of South Bend for a traffic infraction at 520 West Jefferson Street. Salinas was found to have never received a driver's license and was lodged in the Marshall County Jail.

Monday evening at approximately 8:00 p.m., Patrolman Thornton initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of U.S. 31 and 9A Road. During the stop, Marshall County Central Dispatch informed Thornton that the driver's license was suspended. The driver, identified as Alissa Latryce Jackson, 39, of Elkhart, was booked into the Marshall County Jail for driving with a suspended license with a prior conviction.

The string of traffic-related arrests continued Tuesday morning when Officer Krynock stopped a vehicle at 8:15 a.m. on U.S. 30 at Plymouth Goshen Trail for a traffic infraction. The driver, identified as Samantha Abigail Perez, 20, of Harlan, Indiana, was found to have a suspended license with a prior conviction and was lodged in the Marshall County Jail.

Readers are reminded that charging information supported by an affidavit of probable cause is a mere allegation that a crime has been committed and that there is only probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. They are presumed innocent throughout the proceedings and are entitled to be represented by counsel and entitled to a trial by jury at which the State is obligated to provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt before a judgment of guilt may be made.