Traffic stop and drugs bring man to court

A man appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division December 1 and pled guilty to charges filed against him after a traffic stop resulted in drugs being found on his person and in his vehicle, including a large rock of methamphetamine weighing 16.8 grams.

Fifty-four-year-old Steven McCool was put on probation for eight years.

The charges against McCool including possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia to use the drug and tampering with physical evidence.

McCool was stopped September 4 last year by a Baxter County sheriff’s deputy. McCool was on parole at the time and had an active waiver on file permitting warrantless searches of his person and property.

While the deputy searched McCool’s vehicle, he reported McCool made a “throwing motion” toward the woods line at the side of the roadway. The deputy said he heard the sound of “a glass cling.” When he shone his flashlight toward the area of the sound, he located a glass pipe used to smoke methamphetamine.

The pipe was reported to contain methamphetamine residue.

The deputy also reported finding numerous used syringes, including one loaded with a clear substance. He also found a set of digital scales

When McCool was searched, the deputy reported finding a black zip bag containing suboxone strips, a small bag of marijuana and the large rock of methamphetamine in his waistband.

According to the probable cause affidavit, McCool had a record of nine felony convictions in Arkansas at the time of his arrest last year.

Prior to his guilty plea being accepted, his attorney told the court that McCool had completed a John 3:16 addiction treatment program.

REVOCATION PETITION DISMISSED

The state dismissed a revocation petition that had been filed in an earlier case when McCool wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He had been visiting a friend when officers came to conduct a compliance visit on the friend. Both McCool and the friend were on parole at the time and both had waivers on file that permitted warrantless searches of their person and property. Drugs were found during the compliance visit.

WebReady^TM Powered by WireReady^® NSI