A Franklin man was arrested on drug charges in downtown Nashville on Sept. 21 after police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in a hotel parking lot.
Officers were dispatched at about 8 a.m. in reference to a silver SUV people were walking up to, staying for a few moments and then leaving, a probable-cause affidavit by Nashville Police Assistant Chief Tim True states.
True noticed a man wearing a black backpack leaning into the front passenger side window. True was wearing a black suit and had parked his marked car on a nearby street, so he kept walking as if he was going to the public restroom.
The restrooms were locked. On his way back to his vehicle, True noticed the man — later identified as Alexander J. Zschunke, 34 — was leaning in the front driver’s side window.
At this time, Nashville Police Chief Ben Seastrom pulled in and talked with hotel employees at a guard shack. The report said that Zschunke got his cellphone out to make a call and began walking west.
The silver SUV also left the parking lot, and True yelled to ask if the driver was from around the area. She yelled that she was not and kept driving. Seastrom then stopped the vehicle.
He spoke with the three occupants who all said they didn’t know Zschunke and that they were sitting in the parking lot waiting on the restrooms to open when he approached them, the affidavit said.
The vehicle was released from the scene.
Officers saw Zschunke walk back to the restrooms without a backpack on. True reported finding the backpack stuffed underneath a nearby park bench with no one else around.
Inside the backpack police found digital scales with a white powdery substance on them. About 10 to 15 minutes later, Zschunke exited the restrooms wearing a different shirt and texting on his phone.
When asked about the scales they found in the backpack, Zschunke denied owning the backpack. Deputy Austin Schonfeld reported that someone had sent him a picture of the backpack sitting next to the silver SUV earlier.
Inside the restroom, True reported finding a cap to a syringe in the trash can. After taking the trash bag out, True reported finding two plastic bags in the can containing multiple unused syringes. Inside one of the bags he reported finding a baggie with white crystal substance, which True believed to be methamphetamine, the affidavit states.
Zschunke was taken to the Brown County jail. Zschunke did not give True permission to search his phone, but the phone was seized to secure any evidence on it.
Zschunke was charged Sept. 22 with possession of methamphetamine, a Level 5 felony; unlawful possession of a syringe, a Level 6 felony; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.
