A traffic stop on a pickup truck with a license plate that returned to a different vehicle ended Sunday night with the arrest of the driver and passenger on felony drug charges.
The driver, Ryan Nathaniel Lax, 40, who lists a Laser Street address, was taken into custody shortly after 8:30 p.m. and charged with felony counts of possession of meth with purpose to deliver and possession of a controlled substance, ecstasy, with purpose to deliver, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison, 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.
His passenger, Lakeisha Ladon Christian, 38, of Morrilton, was arrested at the same time and charged with possession of a controlled substance, meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to six years, and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, marijuana.
Lax was being held on $13,500 bond while Christian, who also had two warrants for failure to appear, was being held on $8,000 bond. Both were set to appear Monday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Hot Springs police Officer Jason Greene saw a red Chevrolet pickup truck southbound in the 200 block of Central Avenue and noted the license plate returned to a green Chevrolet so he stopped the truck in the parking lot of Waffle House, 2017 Central.
He made contact with Lax and Christian, and Lax reportedly told him he "wanted to be honest" and that there was marijuana in the vehicle in a tin. Greene also found a marijuana "blunt" on the center console. In searching Lax, Greene found he had a baggie hidden in the crotch of his pants that contained marijuana and meth.
In searching the truck, officers located the tin, which had 0.8 gram of marijuana and three pills determined to be MDMA or ecstasy. They also found a glass smoking pipe and a prescription pill bottle with crushed up Oxycodone inside.
Christian was taken into custody after the warrants for her arrest were found and a glass smoking pipe was reportedly found in her possession.
• A routine traffic stop early Saturday lead to the arrest of the driver after it was determined he was a sex offender who had moved to Hot Springs without reporting to authorities.
Richard Lee Ross, 54, who lists an East Grand Avenue address, was taken into custody around 4:15 a.m. and charged with a felony count of failing to comply with sex offender registration and reporting requirements, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
He was being held on a $3,500 bond and was set to appear Monday in district court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 4 a.m., Officer 1st Class Wes Smith made a traffic stop on a white Acura after the driver reportedly failed to dim his lights.
He made contact with the driver, identified as Ross, and a computer check showed him to be a registered sex offender, but his last listed address was in Blytheville.
Ross allegedly told Smith he had been living in Hot Springs for about one month and admitted he had not checked in with the HSPD to change his address as required. By law, a registered sex offender is required to report any change of address within three days.
He also indicated he had found employment in Hot Springs which is also required to be reported to law enforcement.
According to court documents, Ross had pleaded guilty in Blytheville on Oct. 26, 2004, to failure to register as a sex offender and was sentenced to one year in prison, with the entire sentence suspended.
Local on 10/22/2019