A reportedly homeless man was arrested on multiple felony drug charges early Thursday after an encounter with Hot Springs police at a local convenience store.
David Wayne Charles, 56, who lists no permanent address, was taken into custody shortly before 2 a.m. and charged with possession of meth with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years.
Charles was being held on $12,500 bond and is set to appear Friday in Garland County District Court. Charles was previously arrested on Aug. 10 for misdemeanor theft of property and pleaded guilty Sept. 5. He was sentenced to one year in jail with all but nine days suspended and placed on six months' probation.
According to the probable cause affidavit on the drug charges, at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Hot Springs police Officer Thomas Plummer saw a man, later identified as Charles, sitting alongside another man outside the Exxon, 1200 Central Ave. He checked again 10 minutes later and saw Charles sitting in the same location.
Plummer made contact with Charles and explained he had approached him because he was loitering in an area "where we have had several shootings and reports of drug sales." Charles reportedly tried to leave and became agitated when asked for ID, accusing Plummer of harassing him. He had no ID on him, but his identity was confirmed through a computer check.
When asked about the identity of the person he had been sitting with earlier, Charles initially denied there was anyone near him and then claimed he didn't know the person. Asked if he had anything illegal on him, Charles reportedly began "yelling and screaming" and again accused Plummer of harassment.
Noting two large bulges in Charles' pockets, Plummer asked about them and Charles allegedly pulled out a set of digital scales and a package of cigarettes that contained a meth pipe. Charles was taken into custody and put into Plummer's unit while the officer checked the area of the parking lot where he had been.
When Plummer returned to check on Charles, he reportedly noted a plastic bag near his feet which Charles tried to hide. Plummer retrieved the bag which contained what later tested positive for meth. Charles was taken to jail and afterward Plummer found another plastic bag "tucked into the fabric of the seat belt" Charles had been wearing.
Inside the bag were seven smaller baggies of what later tested positive for meth, a total of 5.5 grams. Charles reportedly refused to answer any questions about the drugs found.
Local on 10/12/2018