Muldrow couple charged with heroin possession

A Muldrow couple has been charged with a felony count of unlawful possession of controlled drug with intent to distribute after they were reportedly found to be in possession of heroin during a traffic stop on Interstate-40.

Shane R. Cook, 50, and Rachel I. Cook, 41, were each charged on June 29 in Sequoyah County District Court. Rachel Cook is facing an additional charge of driving with license cancelled/suspended/revoked, according to court records and is now scheduled for a July 7 felony disposition docket with Associate District Judge Kyle Waters. Shane Cook is scheduled to appear before Judge Waters for an Aug. 10 arraignment.

Agent Travis Saulsberry with the District 27 Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force reported on June 24 at around 6:40 a.m. he and agent Eric Helms reportedly conducted a traffic stop on a black fourdoor car with an expired paper tag.

The agents asked the driver, Rachel Cook, for her drivers license and she told them it was suspended and that she driving because Shane Cook was in bad health. The male passenger then handed the officer his identification and Rachel Cook's Arkansas drivers license.

Rachel Cook was then asked to step back to the officer's patrol unit and after Saulsberry ran her license it reportedly came back as suspended. The female driver told the agent Shane Cook was her husband and they had conflicting addresses because they'd never had their licenses changed. She further stated they'd stayed at a friend's house in Webbers Falls overnight but Shane Cook said they were coming back from Oklahoma City.

The agent noted in his report that neither occupants' statements matched and they appeared nervous. He then deployed his K9 to conduct an exterior sniff of the vehicle and the dog reportedly alerted to the driver's side door. During a search of the vehicle, no illegal narcotics were reportedly found inside.

Rachel Cook was placed under arrest for driving under suspension and transported to the Sequoyah County Detention Center.

Shane Cook, who was sitting in Agent Helms' unit, asked to walk off to use the restroom and reportedly kept moving his hands around, stating that he was hurting from a hernia.

When Saulsberry returned to the location of the traffic stop he told Shane Cook he needed to be honest and tell him the real reason for their trip. According to the report, Shane Cook then told the agent that Rachel Cook allegedly handed him the heroin and he was supposed to hide it. When asked where it was hidden, Shane Cook then reached into the rear of his shorts and pulled out a piece of plastic containing separate pieces of plastic wrapping containing a brown substance (heroin). He was then transported to the Sequoyah County Detention Center.

Helms reportedly conducted another search of the vehicle where he reported finding a can with a brown substance on the bottom in the middle console of the car. The substance weighed 4.2 grams and field tested positive for heroin, according to the report.

District Attorney Jack Thorp said the felony charge is punishable by imprisonment in the Department of Corrections for not more than five years and a fine of not more than $20,000.