Stakeout on Meadow Road by Michael Martin, ECPD retired

About the author...Michael Martin (pictured front row, far right in the 1981 photo) is a retired veteran of 25 years on the Eden City Police Department, and has penned a number of anecdotal writings recalling his experiences.

I guess this must have been about '86 and Eden had experienced a couple of armed robberies of convenience stores. Detective Division decided since the MO's and the descriptions were very close, we ought to do something about it. We decided to spend the next weekend staking out our convenience markets.

I drew the Meadow Road One Stop Shop. I contacted a lady who lived across the street and got permission to use her driveway and at the proper time, everyone was in place and ready to play with the bad guys. My toys were a bullet proof vest, a 12 gauge riot gun and binoculars. Sergeant L.J. Priddy's shift was working that night and Officer Michael Beliczky was catching calls in the central area for Patrol division.

Time dragged on until it got to be between twenty after eleven ( I think) and I saw a guy pull up and park on the side of the one stop, a minute or so later another car pulled up and parked beside him and the driver of the second car got out and got into the first car. They just seemed to sit there so I put the field glasses on them and watched. The first thing I saw was the first driver was a white guy and the second man was black, and they were fiddling with something. I also saw a Sarah Lee Knit parking ticket hanging from the mirror. I thought ahh! these are two fellas that just got off second shift, but what are they doing?? Then I saw it.....the sparkle from a cigarette when the fire hit a seed. These two clowns were sitting right in the middle of our stakeout, smoking a joint of marijuana. I picked up the radio and called Beliczky and asked if he would kindly ask these fellas to move.

Michael pulled up in his marked car about twenty seconds later and walked slowly to the car as the white guy ate a large, lit joint. Michael bent over and spoke to the men, he said the black man spoke freely to him but the white guy could only burp smoke. It must have been something akin to eating a hand full of jalapenos raw. without water! Michael explained to them that they were sitting right smack dab in the middle of a police robbery stakeout smoking dope, and if they would leave and let us get on with the business at hand, the Eden Police Department would certainly appreciate it.