Published: June 27, 2008 11:05 am      

OxyContin ring busted while suspect caught in parking lot

PICAYUNE — A buy-bust operation lead to the arrest of three suspects and a suspicious individual in the jail parking was arrested when deputies discovered there was a warrant out on her and for drug possession.

Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department investigator Lt. Donnie Saucier said the buy-bust operation used information from a confidential informant. With that information, investigators set up a purchase of OxyContin at 27 Sunny Acres Dr., Carriere on Tuesday.

Investigators bought 80 milligram doses of the drug that lead to the arrest of three suspects. Saucier said those suspects were Nathan J. Falterman, 47, who resides at 27 Sunny Acres Dr.; William Vernon Duncan, 57, of 177 Will Thompson Rd. and Tim Wayne Penton, 43, of 20 Dago Penton Rd.

Duncan and Falterman were charged with sale of a controlled substance. Falterman was additionally charged with felony possession of a controlled substance when a search of the residence turned up another unit of OxyContin, Saucier said.

Penton was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance.

Also on Tuesday narcotics agents noticed a woman in the Millard jail parking lot attempting to contact inmates behind a gate. Officers told her to stop and ran a background check on her, Saucier said.

“A civilian in our parking lot attempting to make contact with an inmate raises suspicion that they may be attempting to introduce contraband to our jail,” Saucier said.

While running the background check, deputies learned that the woman, identified as Telisa Klinesmith, 32, of 1501 B. Henleyfield Rd., Carriere., was wanted a felony warrant out for bad checks. Klinesmith was taken into custody and during a search, she was found to be in possession of Xanax and was additionally charged with possession of a controlled substance, Saucier said.

Saucier said there was not enough evidence to charge Klinesmith with attempting to provide the drug to the inmates.