OBSERVER Staff Report

GOWANDA — A village woman, who allegedly attempted to hide a bag of methamphetamine in May in a police vehicle, is facing drug charges.

Gowanda police assisted the Erie County Sheriff’s Department with a traffic stop on Aldrich Street. Erin O’Connor, 31, was a passenger in the vehicle and was placed in the rear seat of the Gowanda police car while her vehicle was being searched.

Upon completion of the search, the driver was arrested by deputies and O’Connor was released. At the conclusion of his shift on that date, during a routine vehicle inspection, a Gowanda officer discovered that O’Connor had allegedly hidden a small bag of suspected methamphetamine in the rear seat of the patrol vehicle.

The routine vehicle inspection at the start of the shift confirmed the drugs were not in the patrol vehicle prior to O’Connor being placed in the back seat. O’Connor could not be located at that time and a warrant for her arrest was requested and issued by Town of Collins Court.

The department announced this weekend that at 7:47 p.m. June 28, O’Connor was located and arrested. She was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence.

O’Connor was arraigned in town of Collins Court and released without bail.