Man arrested for meth on B-Line Trail after lying to police

A Bloomington man was arrested early Tuesday after allegedly lying about his identity to police to avoid being picked up for two outstanding warrants.

Matthew Lewallen, 36, was arrested on the north end of the B-Line Trail on a misdemeanor of misinforming the police and two felony charges of methamphetamine manufacturing and possession of precursors with the intention to manufacture, Sgt. Jeff Canada of the Bloomington Police Department said.

BPD responded to possible graffiti vandalism on the B-Line trail and found only Lewallen riding his bicycle there, Canada said.

Officers asked Lewallen if he saw anything and asked for identification.  

Lewallen gave police a false name and birthdate, Canada said. When he was confronted by the officers, Lewallen admitted knowledge of his two outstanding warrants.

The warrants were for a probation violation in Morgan County, for a failure to appear in court in Greene County and were the reason he lied to police, Canada said.

During his arrest and a search of his backpack, BPD officers found a clear plastic bottle with an attached hose still smoking with residue of burning methamphetamine.

BPD contacted the Indiana State Police’s Methamphetamine Suppression Unit to analyze and destroy the evidence.

ISP officers concluded the bottle, along with the materials found in Lewallen’s bag, were enough to arrest him for the two felonies.

The B-Line Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian path that will span across 3.1 miles of Bloomington. The trail’s construction began in 2009, and it will have its grand opening on Thursday.  

— Mehdi Ayari