Arrest Record: Wrong Plates and "Rigid" Passenger Lead to K9 Meth Bust on SR 37 🚨💊

A Bedford man with a history of drug convictions is back behind bars after a weekend traffic stop uncovered methamphetamine, a bloody syringe, and a vehicle with completely mismatched license plates.

Eric Scot Hackney, 46, was arrested late Saturday night, June 6, 2026, by the Bedford Police Department.

The Traffic Stop

At approximately 10:42 p.m., a Bedford police officer patrolling near State Road 37 and 16th Street observed a red passenger car. The officer noted that the front-seat passenger appeared "unnaturally rigid" and actively avoided making eye contact with the patrol vehicle.

After catching up to the vehicle at a red light on 29th Street, the officer ran the license plate, which came back expired as of April 2025 and belonged to a gray Nissan Altima. The vehicle being driven was actually a red Ford Focus. A traffic stop was subsequently initiated near the intersection of SR 37 and River Bluff Road.

Hackney, who was operating the vehicle, told police he had borrowed it from a friend, but the name he provided did not match the vehicle's registration records. He was unable to produce any paperwork for the vehicle.

K9 Castiel Signals Narcotics

Once backup arrived on scene, Hackney and his two passengers were ordered out of the vehicle. Officer Michael Bell deployed his K9 partner, Castiel, to perform a free air sniff around the exterior of the Ford Focus. K9 Castiel gave a primary alert to the odor of narcotics by sitting at the driver's side door.

A subsequent probable cause search of the vehicle turned up several pieces of drug evidence:

• Under the Driver's Seat: A used syringe containing blood.
• Between the Seat and Center Console: A green cut plastic straw containing a crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
• Driver's Door Pocket: Two burnt pieces of tin foil with residue and a black cut plastic straw.
• Center Console: A blue cut plastic straw.

During the investigation, officers also located an empty handgun holster in the rear of the vehicle, prompting a pat-down of a female passenger. A syringe was discovered in her pocket, resulting in her separate arrest and transport to the Lawrence County Jail.

Prior Record & Enhanced Charges

Hackney was taken to IU Health Bedford for medical clearance before being booked into the Lawrence County Jail.

A records review via INCITE revealed that Hackney has a history of narcotics involvement, including a prior conviction for possession of paraphernalia in Lawrence County from February 2025, and a felony conviction for dealing in a Schedule I controlled substance from December 2012. These prior convictions automatically elevate the severity of his new charges.

Eric Scot Hackney Preliminary Charges:
🔹 Possession of Methamphetamine with a Prior Dealing Conviction (Felony)
🔹 Unlawful Possession of a Syringe (Level 6 Felony)
🔹 Possession of Paraphernalia with a Prior Conviction (Misdemeanor)

Case Number: 260606038 Arresting Officer: Officer Michael Bell, Bedford PD

Disclaimer: All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.