Traffic stops, warrant leads to arrest of several for drugs
Published 7:00 am Saturday, May 10, 2014
Deputies with the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department made a number of arrests as a result of two traffic stops and one incident where deputies served a suspect with bench warrants.
Sheriff David Allison said the first stop occurred on April 9, when deputies observed a Ford Explorer fail to use a turn signal. During the stop the deputy discovered that 31-year-old Leeann Foster of 13 Berry Lane was driving with a suspended license, prompting the deputy to ask her to step out of the vehicle, Allison said.
During the stop the deputy noticed Foster was holding a clear plastic baggy in her left hand, Allison said.
As the deputy attempted to place her under arrest and secure the baggy, she resisted and attempted to discard the substance, Allison said.
Foster was placed into custody and the baggy was secured where the deputy found it contained a white powder like substance that field tests showed was methamphetamine, Allison said.
Foster was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and driving while license suspended, Allison said.
The passenger of the vehicle, 22-year-old Michael Clemmens of West Lawn Street, Slidell, La., was found to have an outstanding warrant with the department for transfer of a controlled substance, leading him to be taken into custody, Allison said.
A second set of arrests conducted on April 14, was the result of deputies’ attempt to serve three bench warrants for failure to pay fines to 18-year-old Dominick Bertucci at his home located at 24 Dago Penton Rd., Allison said.
After deputies knocked on the door, they heard a male voice ask who was there. Allison said the deputies identified themselves and after a few minutes Bertucci opened the door, at which time the deputies could smell the odor of marijuana coming from inside the home.
Bertucci was taken into custody for the warrants, and the deputies began to obtain a search warrant for the home based on the odor.
While the deputies were waiting on the search warrant, they observed 19-year-old Brianna Resivo, who also lives at that address, pull up with a two-year-old child in the vehicle, Allison said.
Once the search warrant was obtained, the search of the home found a three kinds of prescription medication the two suspects did not have a prescription for, a marijuana plant, marijuana in a prescription pill bottle and drug paraphernalia in the bedroom, Allison said. The investigation showed Resivo and Bertucci were both aware of the plant, Allison said.
Both suspects were charged with manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia and three counts of possession of a controlled substance for the medication, Allison said.
Bertucci was additionally charged with the bench warrants, Allison said. A family member was called to take custody of the child, Allison said.
A traffic stop conducted on April 16, for careless driving and no seatbelt brought deputies into contact with 19-year-old Freddie Burrell of 1540 Old Highway 35 N., Columbia.
While deputies were speaking with Burrell they could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Burrell was asked to exit the vehicle and a search was conducted where deputies found a book bag containing marijuana and digital scales, Allison said. The investigation showed Burrell had been allegedly selling the drug for the past six months, Allison said.
Burrell was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, careless driving and no seatbelt, Allison said.