A traffic stop for a broken headlight led to the arrest of a Carter County man and woman on drug charges Monday night.
Carter County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Robert Hughes arrested Lindsey Wells, 20, of 189 Ollie Collins Road, Elizabethton, and Ryan Dixon, 18, of 200 West St., Roan Mountain, on Monday around 10:30 p.m. Hughes charged Wells and Dixon with possession of Schedule VI drugs for resale and possession of drug paraphernalia. The officer also charged Dixon with violation of the light law.
On Monday night, Hughes said he was sitting stationary on Highway 19E when he saw a white sedan with a headlight out traveling northbound on the highway. Hughes stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Dixon, and his passenger, Wells.
While speaking with the two, Hughes said he noticed an odor consistent with marijuana coming from the open driver’s side window of the car. Hughes said both Dixon and Wells denied the presence of marijuana in the vehicle and said they didn’t know where the smell was coming from.
“As a result of the strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle, I asked both occupants to exit the vehicle and advised them that I was going to have my Narcotics Detection K9, Zeke, do an exterior sniff of their vehicle,” Hughes said. “During the exterior sniff of the vehicle, K9 Zeke alerted on the driver’s side door, indicating the odor of an illegal narcotic from the vehicle.”
Hughes said he then told Dixon and Wells that due to K9 Zeke alerting on the car he would be searching the vehicle.
While searching the car, Hughes said he found a metal canister with a clear baggie inside which contained marijuana. He said he located another metal tin containing five individually wrapped cubes that Dixon said was THC candy. The officer also reported finding a glass jar containing a brown waxy substance that Dixon identified as “THC Wax” and a glass jar containing a fine powder type clump that Dixon identified as “Kief,” a finely ground marijuana derivative. Hughes noted also finding loose marijuana in a metal tin along with another baggie of marijuana as well as several pipes and other drug paraphernalia.
After their arrest, both Dixon and Wells were transported to the Carter County Detention Center.
On Wednesday morning they appeared in Carter County General Sessions Court for arraignment. Judge Keith Bowers Jr. set each of their bonds at $2,000 and scheduled them to return to court on Jan. 10, 2017.