Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – A routine stop for a defective brake light on Monday turned into a felony arrest after Jonesboro police said nearly a pound of meth was found hidden inside the vehicle.
According to an affidavit, on Jan. 20, investigative crews with the Jonesboro Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit noticed a truck traveling on West Johnson Avenue near Floyd Street with defective brake lights and expired tags. The vehicle was stopped at North Culberhouse Street and West Johnson Avenue.
While speaking with the driver, police noted that the front passenger, 41-year-old Larry Lywayne Hunter, appeared to be nervous and avoiding eye contact. The affidavit states that Hunter had sweat coming down his forehead and face, which began to turn pale, and his heart rate was so high that a neck vein could be seen pulsing. It was also noted that Hunter was on probation with a search waiver on file.
The driver and Hunter exited the vehicle. Crews searched Hunter but found nothing on him. A limited search of the front passenger side of the vehicle was then conducted, and hidden under a jacket was a plastic bag that contained 446 grams of meth. Police said, during a Mirandized interview, Hunter admitted the meth was his, and the driver had no knowledge of it being inside the vehicle.
Hunter was taken to the Craighead County Detention Center and booked at 3:17 p.m., according to the online jail roster. He appeared the next day in front of District Judge David Boling, who found probable cause to charge him with trafficking a controlled substance, a class Y felony.
Hunter is being held on a $150,000 cash/surety bond and must wear a GPS ankle monitor upon release. His next court date is scheduled for Feb. 27.
