An alert deputy is getting the credit for a drug bust near Wanatah.

It happened around 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 19, as the officer was patrolling the area of U.S. 30 near County Road 1100 W.

The deputy saw two vehicles parked in the parking lot at the Christian Church of Wanatah, according to the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department.

When he pulled into the area, both vehicles took off, the sheriff’s department reported.

The driver of one of the vehicles then committed a traffic violation so the officer pulled him over at the Porter-LaPorte County Line.

23-year-old Kyle Burgess of Gary was arrested after police smelled pot and found marijuana, syringes, paraphernalia and crystal meth in the vehicle, the sheriff’s department reported.