Two unrelated traffic stops by a Hot Springs police officer late Friday and early Saturday resulted in the arrests of four suspects on felony drug charges involving meth and cocaine.
The first incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Friday when Officer Morgan Murray stopped an unlicensed blue Ford F-350 pickup truck in the 100 block of Park Avenue and made contact with the driver, identified as Jason Lynn Deloach, 42, of Malvern, and immediately detected an odor of marijuana.
A National Park Service officer who was with Murray spotted a baggie of pills in the center console and alerted Murray, but when Murray looked he didn't see any pills, so he asked Deloach about them. Deloach initially denied having any pills, but allegedly admitted there was "weed" in the center console.
Deloach was asked to exit the vehicle and at that point, he reportedly admitted he did have some pills and handed Murray a baggie with 29 alprazolam bars. Asked if there was anything else in the vehicle, Deloach allegedly stated there was also cocaine in the center console.
Murray searched the console and located three bags with 3.2 grams of marijuana and a baggie with 1.8 grams of what later tested positive for cocaine. A prescription pill bottle located on the passenger seat was found to contain 77 hydrocodone pills and it was noted the prescription was in a woman's name.
A further search of Deloach's person reportedly uncovered another baggie with 0.8 gram of cocaine and $2,932 in cash.
Deloach was taken into custody and charged with felony counts of possession of cocaine with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver involving the pills, punishable by up to 20 years and up to six years, and a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Deloach was later released on $18,500 bond and is set to appear July 17 in Garland County District Court.
Shortly before 12:30 a.m. Saturday, officer Murray spotted a white Ford vehicle stopped in the middle of the road in the 1900 block of Hobson Avenue and made a traffic stop, getting the driver to pull over on the side of the road.
As police Officer Richard Davis arrived to assist, Murray made contact with the driver, identified as Christopher Sean Bedwell, 44, of Vilonia, and two passengers, Harlee Hopson, 51, who lists a Mississippi Street address, and Sidney Darnell Missouri, 53, who lists a South Patterson Street address.
It was determined Bedwell had warrants for three misdemeanor counts of theft of property and criminal trespass so he was asked to step out and taken into custody. A small baggie with 0.3 gram of what later tested positive for cocaine was located on the ground beside the driver's door after Bedwell got out.
Hopson was found to have a warrant out of Benton so he was also taken into custody and Davis reportedly found two metal smoking pipes in his sock. In searching Hopson further, officers allegedly found a rock of what later tested positive for cocaine, 0.8 gram.
Davis then spotted a firearm in the passenger seat next to Missouri and a glass pipe near his thigh. Missouri was taken into custody and reportedly admitted he had something in his pocket he had been "getting high off of." Officers then found a pill bottle with five baggies of what later tested positive for meth, 1.6 grams, in his pocket and about 0.4 gram of marijuana in his sock.
Missouri was charged with felony counts of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, punishable by up to life in prison, two counts of possession with purpose to deliver involving meth and cocaine, punishable by up to 10 years, possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years, and a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Hopson was charged with felony counts of possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to six years. Bedwell was charged with a felony count of possession of cocaine, punishable by up to 10 years, and driving on a suspended driver's license in addition to the prior warrants.
Missouri was being held in lieu of $100,000 bond, Bedwell was being held in lieu of $6,000 bond and Hopson was being held in lieu of $5,000 bond and all three appeared Monday in district court.
Local on 07/10/2018