A police investigation of a theft of tires has led to drug charges against a 56-year-old Wai­ko­loa woman and a 37-year-old Wai­mea man.

On Monday afternoon South Kohala police responded to a report that a man had stolen two tires from a tire store on Mama­la­hoa Highway in Wai­mea and fled in a Jeep Cherokee driven by a woman, according to a Hawaii County Police Department news release.

At 6:50 p.m. an off-duty South Kohala police officer saw the Jeep on Kawai­hae Road. On-duty officers then stopped the vehicle at the entrance to Spencer Beach Park and were able to see the stolen tires inside.

The driver, Peggy Ann Lasa­ter, and the passenger, Isaac Gaub, were arrested and taken to the Kona police cellblock while detectives investigated the incident.

Police recovered the Jeep, and detectives obtained a warrant to search it. During the search, detectives recovered the stolen tires along with 8.2 grams of a crystalline substance suspected to be meth­am­pheta­mine, 2.2 grams of a black tarlike substance suspected to be heroin, 4.2 grams of a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana, 13 gel capsules containing at total of 3.3 grams of a yellow rocklike substance suspected to be cocaine and about 186 assorted unprescribed prescription pills.

At 4:20 p.m. Wednesday detectives charged both suspects with second-degree theft, second-degree meth trafficking, four counts of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, three counts of second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, two counts of fourth-degree promotion of a harmful drug, five counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and one count each of third-degree promotion of a harmful drug and third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug. Bail was seat at $238,000 each.