On 3/22/23, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Jay A. Parrish, age 39, of Mt. Carmel, for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Theft. Parrish was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for an unrelated offense in the 1300 block of W 9th Street. During the stop, Officer Hopper and his K-9 Eleven conducted a free air narcotics sniff around the exterior of the vehicle resulting in the K-9 alerting to the presence of narcotics. A search of the vehicle was conducted leading to officers finding a set of scales containing suspected narcotics residue on it. As the search continued, officers located Tramadol and codeine tablets, both of which are controlled substances. Parrish admitted to ownership of each of the pills but only claimed a prescription for the Tramadol. Further investigation found evidence that Parrish had stolen the codeine tablet from a residence he visits. The lawful owner signed charges against Parrish for the theft of his medication at that time. Parrish was taken to the Wabash County Jail where he has been charged and held pending a bond setting by a judge.
