Indictment: Groton man had backpack with over half ounce of cocaine

ITHACA, N.Y. — A Groton man was indicted on drug charges Thursday morning in Tompkins County Court after he was allegedly found to be in possession of more than half an ounce of cocaine.

Shawn A. Payne, 33, was arrested by Ithaca Police on Dec. 29, 2016, after they reportedly found a backpack in Ithaca belonging to the defendant. Police say during a search of the backpack they found a New York State license belonging to Payne, along with two knotted plastic bags containing a “white, chunky substance.”

Police continued to search the backpack and reported that a larger bag of the white substance was found, weighing approximately 27.36 grams. Court documents show that after running drug tests, the substance tested positive for cocaine. Police reported a total of 33.14 grams of cocaine were found in the backpack.

Payne is charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.