MOORESBURG, Tenn. (WJHL) — Two out-of-state felons face a slew of drug charges from the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) after a K-9 officer reportedly discovered over 150 grams of a substance believed to be fentanyl during a Sept. 11 traffic stop.
Arrest reports from the HCSO detailed the incident that began at 2:45 a.m. when deputy Bryan Sanders noticed a black Ford Escape traveling slowly in the eastbound lanes on Highway 11 and passing the center of the two lanes.
“After following said vehicle, I observed it to have very dark window tint, cross the center dotted line with both tires three times,” the report penned by Sanders states. “Then cross the left fog line twice, once riding on the rumble/caution strips for several feet.”
Sanders along with Cpl. Williams stopped the vehicle near Hollow Road, where they spoke with the driver, identified as Joshua Caleb Barnes, 29, of Detroit, Michigan, and a passenger, identified as Reychelle De’andria Adams, 27, of Louisville, Kentucky.
Officers noticed an open vodka container setting next to the passenger’s legs, “within reaching distance” of the driver, the report states.
Dispatch reportedly advised deputies that when they ran the driver’s Michigan tags, the system showed they had been suspended. Deputies also ran the Kentucky registration on the SUV, and the system reportedly revealed the registration covered a silver Ford Taurus.
Barnes allowed officers to search the vehicle, and responding deputies called upon Detective Boggs and K-9 officer Xeno, according to the report. Xeno alerted officers to check the center console, where they discovered 154 grams of a gray powder believed to be fentanyl and 29 grams of a substance believed to be marijuana.
Investigators also found the following: a Ruger SR22 with 10 rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber, a fully loaded 22 magazine in the back seat under a suitcase and a Michigan tag that was supposed to be displayed on the Ford Escape but had allegedly been swapped out with the Kentucky tag.
Deputies ran Barnes’ and Adams’ names through the NCIC system and found that both had been previously convicted of felonies. The HCSO charged the duo with possession of a Schedule I drug with intent to sell/deliver, simple possession, possession of a firearm during a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Barnes, the driver, faces the following additional charges: driving on roadways laned for traffic, driving on a suspended license, window tint violation, open container, misuse of registration and violation of financial responsibility.
The HCSO transported Barnes and Adams to the Hawkins County Jail for booking.