Traffic stop for expired license plate tags leads to two felony arrests

Roderick Ernist Gray - Submitted photo
Roderick Ernist Gray - Submitted photo

A traffic stop on a vehicle with expired tags resulted in the arrest of two Arkadelphia men on felony drug charges early Saturday.

Roderick Ernist Gray, 60, and Joseph Coy Husley, 43, who both list Arkadelphia addresses, were taken into custody shortly before 4 a.m. and each charged with a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, meth, punishable by up to six years in prison.

Husley was also charged with a felony count of possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years, and a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, punishable by up to one year in jail.

Gray was being held on a $2,500 bond and was set to appear Monday in Garland County District Court. Husley was released on a $6,000 bond and is set to appear on March 14 in district court.

According to court records, Husley listed no prior criminal history, but Gray was convicted in 2013 of possession of meth and sentenced to five years' supervised probation, and in 2019 of two counts of maintaining a drug premises, two counts of delivery of meth and two counts of unlawful use of a communication device and sentenced to 10 years in prison, but later paroled, all in Clark County.

According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 4 a.m., Hot Springs police Officer Blake Forga made a traffic stop in the 3200 block of Central Avenue on a silver Hyundai that had temporary tags that had expired in November.

He made contact with the driver, identified as Gray, who showed to be on probation with a search waiver on file, and the passenger, identified as Husley, who stated he owned the vehicle and didn't have the money to get it registered.

Forga asked Husley if there was anything illegal in the car and he said no, but when he asked Husley to exit the vehicle he allegedly began to reach for his front pocket. Forga told him not to reach for anything, but he reportedly continued and pulled out a baggie which was found to contain 0.5 grams of marijuana.

In searching Gray, officers allegedly found 0.25 grams of what later tested positive for meth inside his jacket pocket. Another 0.25 grams of meth was found in the pocket of a coat that Husley had been sitting on in the passenger seat.

Once in the back of Forga's unit, Husley reportedly stated he had glass smoking pipe in his underwear which was later recovered and seized at the detention center.

  photo  Joseph Coy Husley - Submitted photo
 
 

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