3 people arrested after 92 grams of meth were found during a traffic stop

TYLER, Texas – Three people were arrested Tuesday after police found over 92 grams of meth and items related to the sale of narcotics during a traffic stop in Smith County.

Jacob Edward Kovarik, 44, Brandy Havard Franklin, 31, and Brandy Yvette Rucker, 48, were all booked into the Smith County Jail following the stop on U.S. Highway 271 North in Smith County.

Kovarik was arrested for evading arrest/detention with a vehicle and possession of a controlled substance and a probation violation. Franklin and Rucker were both charged with manufacture and/or delivery of a controlled substance, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.

The vehicle failed to stop and sped away when a deputy constable from Smith County’s 5th Precinct attempted to make a traffic stop. The driver, identified as Kovarik, pulled into the parking lot of Texas Best Smokehouse on Highway 271 at Interstate 20. He dropped off a woman before evading officers who were traveling south on the highway, the sheriff’s office said.

Kovarik turned around and drove north until he pulled back into the parking lot of Texas Best Smokehouse. He got out of the vehicle and ran into the woods near the parking lot. He was arrested shortly afterward, the SCSO said.

During the chase, a Smith County Sheriff’s Office police dog apprehended the woman who exited the vehicle and identified her as Franklin. The officer also apprehended Rucker as she attempted to assist Franklin.

After searching the vehicle, officers found 92.6 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale and several clear baggies. The sheriff’s office said this evidence indicated the possible manufacture and/or sale of illegal narcotics.

The Smith County 4th District Constable’s Office and the Smith County 1st District Constable’s Office, as well as the Texas Department of Public Safety, also assisted with the arrests.