Separate traffic stops by Hot Springs police Sunday night resulted in the arrest of two local men on multiple felony charges by the local drug task force.
Roosevelt Allen Kelly, 43, who lists a Third Street address, was taken into custody around 9 p.m. and charged with felony counts of simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, possession of cocaine with purpose to deliver and possession of a controlled substance, hydrocodone, each punishable by up to 20 years, and a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to one year in jail.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Officer Joey Vanderburg was on Lemons Street about to pull onto Gaines Street when he saw a black Chevrolet Suburban northbound on Gaines that stopped suddenly in the middle of the road as it approached where the officer was sitting, causing another vehicle to have to drive around it.
The Suburban then accelerated, turning onto Runyon and then Curl Street and Vanderburg noted "it appeared the vehicle was attempting to avoid me," so he stopped it at Curl and Washington streets. The driver, later identified as Kelly, got out of the vehicle and began trying to walk away.
The officer ordered him to get back in the vehicle and he finally complied and a strong odor of marijuana was reportedly detected coming from inside the vehicle. Officer Jonathan Smith arrived to assist and asked Kelly if he had anything illegal in the vehicle.
Kelly allegedly handed Smith a bag with 13.7 grams of marijuana and a baggie with eight hydrocodone pills. He also told officers he had a gun in the car and as he was reaching around inside the vehicle between the driver's seat and center console, where the gun was reportedly located, he appeared to drop something on the floor.
Kelly was removed from the car and taken into custody and officers reportedly found a partially burned marijuana cigarette on the floor, a loaded .38-caliber revolver between the seat and console and a plastic baggie with 2.3 grams of what later tested positive for crack cocaine next to the gun.
Kelly was searched and reportedly had $1,765 in small denominations in his pants pocket. Agents with the 18th Judicial District East Drug Task Force were notified and assumed the investigation, taking possession of the gun, money and drugs.
Once at the jail, Kelly reportedly stated he stopped when he saw the police car so he could text someone because "he thought the police were watching him and he was caught." He reportedly admitted all the drugs, gun and money belonged to him.
In a separate traffic stop, Eulis Robert Allen Lewallen, 34, who listed no address, was taken into custody shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday and charged with possession of meth with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate a crime, punishable by up to 20 years, and possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to six years.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Officer Jonathan Smith was westbound in the 200 block of Bafanridge Street when he saw a 1998 Lincoln Continental and noted a computer check of the license plate returned no information.
The driver, later identified as Lewallen, made an improper turn onto Malvern Avenue off Bafanridge, so Smith pulled him over on Lakeside Street and discovered his driver's license was suspended and he had a warrant for contempt of court out of Malvern.
While waiting on confirmation on the warrant, Smith noted Lewallen appeared nervous and asked if he could search the vehicle. Lewallen told him he borrowed the vehicle and wasn't sure what might be in it. When asked if there was anything in the vehicle Smith needed to know about, Lewallen allegedly admitted he had "some dope" in the pocket of his jacket on the seat.
Lewallen was taken into custody and Smith let his K-9 partner, Bear, perform a check on the vehicle, noting he alerted on the jacket in the passenger seat. Inside the jacket's pocket, the officer allegedly found two baggies with 38 grams of what later tested positive for meth.
Officers also found a Mason jar with 23 grams of marijuana inside a backpack in the rear passenger seat and a 200-gram weight which the affidavit noted is "used for checking scales accuracy."
Kelly was being held on zero bond and Lewallen was being held on $20,000 bond and both appeared Monday in Garland County District Court.
Local on 01/15/2019