Woman,men charged with drug possession
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
An Atmore woman who admitted during a December 2 traffic stop that she had marijuana in her purse was arrested, but not for the small quantity of pot she had in her possession. Instead, it was what else that was in her purse that landed her in jail.
APD Chief Chuck Brooks said this week that Sabrae Paeton Hadley, 25, was charged with felony drug possession after city police found an undisclosed quantity of methamphetamine inside her handbag.
“One of our officers spotted a vehicle in which Ms. Hadley was a passenger driving along Highway 21 with no tag,” Brooks said. “The officer questioned the driver and confirmed that the vehicle had been purchased just one day earlier. However, the driver had no insurance on the vehicle.”
Brooks said the vehicle’s occupants acted suspiciously and failed to make eye contact with the officer. When the driver gave consent to search the vehicle, the Atmore woman reportedly advised the policeman she had some marijuana in her purse.
“The officer found another container in the purse that contained a crystal-like substance that was confirmed to be methamphetamine,” Brooks said, noting that the officer also found a “torch lighter.”
Hadley was arrested and charged with one count each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was processed into the county jail and was released on bond the next day.
Two Atmore men were arrested a day apart by Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
No details of his arrest were available, but the Escambia County Detention Center (ECDC) website shows that Desmond Deishon Jones, 29, was arrested November 26 and charged with possession of a controlled substance, a Class D felony, and first-degree possession of marijuana, a Class C felony.
He was released on bond three days after his arrest.
Another Atmore man, who provided an address on Jack Springs Road as well as a Century, Fla. address, was arrested November 27 on a warrant issued in September.
Brandon Tyrone Lassiter, 47, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (Spice), possession of prescription drugs (hydroxyzine) without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia (scales). Those charges are reportedly related to an incident that happened September 4 on Lynn McGhee Drive.
Bond was initially set at $7,500 but later increased to $20,000. Lassiter was also on probation, which allows authorities to hold him without bond, and remained in the county jail this week. ECDC records show he has been booked into the facility 11 times since 2010, four times on felony drug charges.