STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A routine traffic stop Saturday afternoon led to a narcotics investigation and criminal charges after a police K9 detected drugs inside a vehicle parked at a local medical facility.
On Jan. 24, 2026, around 12:30 p.m., members of the Stafford Township Police Department’s Drug Enforcement Unit stopped a vehicle in the AtlantiCare parking lot along Route 72.
The driver, Ryan S. Bannon, 44, of Ocean Grove, was taken into custody after officers discovered an active no-bail warrant issued by the Monmouth County Superior Court.
During the stop, Detective Jackman Bush developed suspicion that narcotics were inside the vehicle. Detective Zach Wiatrowski then deployed his K9 partner, Venus, who alerted to the presence of drugs. Police seized the vehicle while awaiting a search warrant.
Bannon’s passenger, Katherine M. Smith, 37, of Brick, was initially released from the scene.
Later that evening, around 5 p.m., investigators executed a court-authorized search warrant and recovered a quantity of suspected crack cocaine from the vehicle.
Charges were filed against both occupants. Authorities said Bannon remains in custody, while Smith has refused to turn herself in to face the pending charges.
