A Pearl River County man was recently arrested on a charge of allegedly distributing heroin.
Pearl River County Sheriff David Allison said for the past eight weeks, narcotics investigators have received tips that alleged 35-year-old Richard “Dicky” Thigpen was using and selling drugs from his home, located at 7887 U.S. 11 Carriere.
On March 1, an investigator on patrol saw Thigpen driving along north Interstate 59 in a Nissan Altima. Allison said the investigator checked with dispatch to see if Thigpen’s license was valid, suspecting it was expired. When it was confirmed Thigpen’s license was expired a stop was conducted as he exited from the interstate onto Highway 43 South.
Allison said Thigpen pulled into the parking lot of a local restaurant where he had to exit the vehicle to speak with the officer since the window did not work. While Thigpen exited the vehicle, the officer allegedly saw a needle between the doorframe and the driver’s seat. Thigpen was initially charged with driving while license suspended, Allison said.
Further investigation found Thigpen to allegedly be in possession of three grams of an off-white substance suspected to be heroin and digital scales that could be used to weigh narcotics for resale, Allison said.
Thigpen was additionally charged with possession of paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Allison said it appears as though complaints about Thigpen have been coming into the department for years, and that he has been arrested about four times over the past three years for various drug charges. Allison could not say if any convictions came out of those charges.
Additionally, Allison has noticed that heroin has become prevalent over the past couple of years, not just in this county, but nationwide.