Moulton man arrested in Shiner for drugs

A Moulton man remained in custody at the Lavaca County Jail as this paper went to press Tuesday, following his arrest precisely one week prior for what local police call a sizable stash of crimes allegedly found on him early Tuesday, Sept 26.
Officer Chris Kalina was working overnight patrols in Shiner last week when the department got a call from a concerned citizen, alerting them to some possible suspicious activities taking place near where the caller lived.
Kalina went out to investigate, and sure enough, something didn’t seem quite right with the fellow he found there. Upon further question of the individual, Kalina said he secured what he needed to conduct a probable cause search of the vehicle.
Once inside, the police officer reportedly found some 18 grams of a crystal-like substance he said he believed was methamphetamine, along with many of the typical pieces of paraphernalia that one can use to abuse said drug.
If the substance tested positive for what he believed it likely was, Kalina said that there was enough of a combined weight for a regulated drug like meth usually is, any amount above four grams, enhances the crime significantly according to state and federal laws.
It was more than enough to proceed with an arrest at any rate.
Booked into Lavaca County Jail in Hallettsville at 3:41 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, was Justin David Gaertner, 37, of Moulton, on the single charge of controlled substance possession, between four and 200 grams.
He remained in custody a full week later, held on $30,000 bond, according to online jail logs.