By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
An Atmore couple remained behind bars without bond at midweek, charged with drug trafficking after authorities seized more than an ounce of methamphetamine during a search of their residence.
According to documents obtained by Atmore News, 30-year-old Jacob Lee Ahern and Krystle Olivia Ahern, 34, were placed under arrest by one of three probation officers who conducted the February 16 search.
Reports show that Jacob Ahern was standing in the yard of the couple’s Taylor Circle residence when the probation officers arrived. Krystle Ahern was also standing in the yard, but “took off inside the house” when the officers arrived.
When asked where his drugs were stashed, Jacob Ahern advised that they were inside the house and his wife could show them the location. When the officers came inside, she turned over “a zip lock baggy that contained approximately 33 grams of methamphetamine,” along with two glass pipes commonly used for smoking the illegal substance and a digital scale “commonly used to weigh narcotics for sale and distribution.”
Jacob Ahern, who was on probation for a 2019 felony drug charge, was charged with one count each of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and probation violation. The arrest was his 13th since 2010, all of them stemming from drug-related felonies or failure to appear in court.
Under Alabama Criminal Code, a person who is found to be in possession of 28 grams or more, but less than 500 grams, “shall be guilty of trafficking in methamphetamine” and is subject upon conviction to “a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of three calendar years” and a fine of up to $50,000.
Escambia County Detention Center records show that both Aherns were still in the facility on Tuesday, February 23. No bond amount was listed for either suspect.
Sheriff Heath Jackson had no comment on the arrest.