Staff Report

Randall Joseph Murphy

CROMWELL — A Cromwell man was recently arrested after allegedly resisting arrest while being in possession of marijuana.

Randall Joseph Murphy, 62, 9205 E. Doswell Blvd., Cromwell, is charged with resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony; resisting law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor; and possession of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor.

On Jan. 5, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s deputy was on patrol in Cromwell when he noticed a vehicle turn onto Wawasee Drive without properly using a turn signal. The vehicle also did not have a working license plate light and the deputy later determined the vehicle had an expired registration for its license plate.

The deputy pulled the vehicle over in a driveway and identified the driver as Murphy. When asked if there were illegal drugs inside the vehicle, Murphy said there was not and consented to his vehicle being searched.

According to court documents, during the search, the deputy found several “roaches” containing marijuana. Murphy claimed the marijuana did not belong to him. Due to the cold temperatures, Murphy was given permission to step inside his home. When Murphy opened the door, the deputy could smell marijuana coming from the home. Murphy admitted to smoking marijuana in his home and then admitted the marijuana roaches in the vehicle likely belonged to him.

Murphy refused to perform any field sobriety tests and became increasingly agitated with the deputy. Due to his increased agitation, the deputy decided to detain Murphy. However, Murphy began pulling away from the deputy and walked into his home. Murphy continued to not comply with the deputy’s commands.

The deputy deployed his taser on Murphy but it had no effect. The struggle continued until a Syracuse Police officer arrived at the scene and assisted. Officers gained control of Murphy and successfully put him in handcuffs. During the struggle, the deputy sustained two small lacerations to his hands.

Murphy has already been arrested and released on bond. He has an initial hearing at 1 p.m. Feb. 7, in Kosciusko Superior Court Two.