Paragould, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – A Paragould man faces multiple charges after police said they found meth and drug paraphernalia and neglected living conditions inside his apartment.

James Dowdy was arrested and booked into the Greene County Detention Center on Sept. 27, the inmate roster shows.

Earlier that day, Paragould police officers attempted to make contact with Dowdy at his apartment on Noble Wilson Street.

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According to the probable cause affidavit, Dowdy was serving a 60-month suspended imposition of a sentence from October 2023 with an active search waiver on file. The previous day, an officer had searched Dowdy during an encounter for suspicious behavior and discovered phone messages concerning illegal drug purchases.

When officers arrived at the apartment on Sunday, Dowdy ran inside toward a bedroom. After officers issued verbal commands, Dowdy exited the bedroom and was detained. Police said Dowdy’s girlfriend and their child were also asked to step outside, and the girlfriend granted multiple consents for officers to search the apartment.

Officers described the residence as “severely neglected” and “unsanitary,” noting cat feces and urine spread throughout the home, along with an infestation of roaches and spiders crawling across the walls, floors, kitchen cabinets, and a bedroom mattress. Half-smoked marijuana joints were also found scattered across the floor, including within reach of the child’s toys.

The affidavit said an Arkansas Department of Human Services worker arrived at the scene, determined the environment was unsafe, and removed the child under a 72-hour hold.

During the subsequent search, officers discovered a plastic bag containing a white crystal substance along with a used glass pipe hidden between the mattress and box springs in the bedroom Dowdy had entered. The substance field-tested positive for meth. Police said Dowdy’s cell phone also revealed discussions regarding meth purchases.

During an interview with an investigator, Dowdy admitted to using meth since age 14 by smoking, snorting, and injecting it, the affidavit said. He claimed he was the only meth user in the residence and admitted he had run back into the bedroom to hide the drugs and pipe under the mattress when police arrived.

District Judge Curtis Hill found probable cause to charge Dowdy with the following offenses:

• Possession of meth greater than two grams but less than 10 grams (Class C felony)
• Use of a communication device (Class C felony)
• Possession of drug paraphernalia (Class D felony)
• Third-degree endangering the welfare of a minor (Class B misdemeanor)

Dowdy is being held on a $25,000 cash/surety bond.

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