A traffic stop on a vehicle with expired tags Saturday afternoon led to the arrests of the driver, after drugs and guns were allegedly found, and a passenger who fled from the scene but was later apprehended.
The driver, Patrick Tyler Creasy, 33, who lists a Catherine Heights Loop address, was charged with felony counts of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, punishable by up to life in prison, possession of a controlled substance, meth, with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 30 years, possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to 20 years, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, involving Xanax pills and marijuana, each punishable by up to six years.
The passenger, Byrum Ezekiel Laster, 21, who lists a Barbary Road address, was charged with a felony warrant for theft by receiving over $1,000, punishable by up to six years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of fleeing on foot. He also had two warrants for failure to appear.
Both Creasy and Laster were being held on zero bond and were set to appear Monday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly after 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Hot Springs police Officer Jonathan Smith spotted a red 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche with expired tags eastbound on West Grand Avenue and made a traffic stop on it in the parking lot of the Exxon, 1200 Central.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, the front seat passenger, later identified as Laster, jumped out and ran south toward US Bank, 1201 Central, while the driver, Creasy, turned the vehicle off and tossed his keys into the parking lot, holding his hands outside the window. Creasy told Smith he had a concealed carry permit and had a .45-caliber handgun in a hip holster.
Creasy was asked to exit the vehicle and his handgun was removed as other officers arrived and then Smith and his K-9 partner, Bear, began tracking Laster, who was last seen by witnesses running toward Woodbine Street.
Laster was located lying on his back in the rear yard of a building in the 200 block of Woodbine and taken into custody.
Smith returned to the Exxon and asked Creasy for consent to search his vehicle, explaining he could refuse. Creasy reportedly "seemed very nervous" and refused consent. Smith had Bear begin a narcotics sniff of the vehicle and the dog alerted on a silver box near the driver's side window.
Inside the box, officers allegedly found three used syringes and a plastic container with a baggie of what later tested positive for meth and a baggie with 12.5 Xanax pills. Also inside the vehicle officers found a loaded .22-caliber revolver and an unloaded pump-action 12-gauge shotgun, a digital scale, a small amount of marijuana and a backpack.
In the backpack, officers reportedly found another digital scale, another baggie with meth, and an unused syringe so Creasy was taken into custody.
According to the affidavit on the theft charge against Laster, on March 28, 2020, a woman reported the theft of her 2019 Honda GROM motorcycle, valued at $3,000, from her residence on Oakwood Avenue. The next day, Laster allegedly brought a Honda GROM motorcycle to another man's house on Spring Street to have the ignition switch repaired.
The man had seen a Facebook post about the stolen motorcycle which matched the one brought to him and contacted the owner. She went to the man's house and confirmed it was her motorcycle and they called the Garland County Sheriff's Department who took a theft and recovery report.
The man asked to do the repairs was later shown a photo lineup and reportedly confirmed the person who had brought the motorcycle to him was Laster and a warrant for Laster's arrest was issued on April 7.
Local on 04/21/2020