A state Highway Patrol driver’s license checkpoint turned up more than a pound of marijuana June 21.
According to a release from the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, two men in a black Chevrolet Impala drove up to the checkpoint on Banks School Road, near Ridgewood Drive, and one of the troopers detected a strong scent of marijuana and asked the driver, Christopher Deon Jones, to pull over to the side of the road.
LCSO Lt. Alana Liberty assisted with the further investigation and confirmed the strong marijuana smell.
During a pat-down search of passenger Jeffrey Leon Jones, authorities found 12 small bags containing what was suspected to be marijuana and a stolen firearm. A further search of the car reveled roughly a pound of marijuana in a bag in the trunk.
“Both agencies did an outstanding job in stopping these offenders from distributing this illicit product to the street,” Sheriff Chris Hill said in a statement. “I hope the good folks of Lenoir County are seeing the hard work that my officers and the NCSHP, as well as all law enforcement, are doing for them.
“We are in a proactive enforcement mode trying to reduce crime and drug sales by utilizing different policing strategies.”
Christopher Jones faces charges of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute a Schedule VI controlled substance, and maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances. He was booked into the Lenoir County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond.
Jeffrey Jones faces charges of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute a Schedule VI controlled substance, and possession of a stolen firearm.
The Joneses are due back in Lenoir County District Court on July 9.
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.