Maryville traffic stop leads to ill-gotten gains

By Kathy Turner • What started as a traffic stop for speeding ended up being a surprising find in Maryville. At the April 15 Maryville board meeting, Maryville Police Chief Tony Manley reported on the stop.

A Maryville officer stopped a vehicle for speeding on Nov. 24. When the officer approached the vehicle, she noticed that the five occupants acted nervous. She called for backup officers as well as a canine unit. 

A preliminary search by the canine unit led to a more thorough investigation. When searched, the officer found more than $1 million worth of gold and silver coins. The suspects were detained.

Further investigation led to information from other communities that determined that the suspects were well known to law enforcement. The investigation involved multiple community, state and federal agencies.

Recently all five suspects were charged with felony theft. In addition, one was charged with credit card and identity theft. The coins will eventually be returned to the owners.