By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The following felony arrests were reported by officers of the Atmore Police Department (APD) during the period May 10-18:
Joshua Hill
Hill, 28, of Atmore was arrested on a felony pot possession charged after a small amount of marijuana was found in his vehicle when he was stopped around 7:50 a.m. because the vehicle displayed an expired license plate.
Police reports show that Hill’s license was suspended, and the policeman noted that “a strong odor of marijuana was coming from the vehicle.”
A probable-cause search turned up “a small amount of marijuana.” Police discovered that Hill has a prior conviction for second-degree pot possession, and the charge was upgraded to first-degree possession, a Class D felony.
He was booked into the Escambia County Detention Center (ECDC), from which he was released May 19.
Tessa McClure
McClure, a 22-year-old Flomaton resident, was jailed May 13 after a small amount of methamphetamine was found after the vehicle in which she was a passenger was pulled over because it had no tag.
The traffic stop took place around 12:35 a.m., and “during the officer’s interaction with the driver and McClure, the officer noted suspicious behavior.” Reports show he was granted consent to conduct a search of the vehicle.
A “small amount of a crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine” was found in the car, and McClure reportedly admitted to police she also had a small amount of meth hidden in her body.
The Flomaton woman was jailed on one count each of possession of controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence. She was still on the ECDC inmate roster early Tuesday, May 20.
Tebyl Presley
A May 10 APD traffic stop, this one around 11:40 p.m., resulted in the discovery of a small amount of methamphetamine and the Walnut Hill woman’s arrest.
According to police reports, an officer “observed a vehicle suddenly begin backing down Rockaway Creek Road into a parking lot. The vehicle was not displaying a tag.”
The reporting officer “noted suspicious behavior” as he spoke with Presley, 53, and requested a K9 unit. The dog “alerted” on the vehicle, and a probable-cause search led to discovery of “a small amount of a crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine,” along with items used to ingest narcotics.
A Tuesday, May 20 search of ECDC records shows Presley has since been released from the facility. She is charged with one count each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Keith Brown
The 51-year-old Atmore man, wanted by the county sheriff’s office on unspecified charges, was further charged with felony drug possession after he dropped a crack-filled pipe while being detained by an APD officer on May 13.
According to police reports, Brown was spotted as he walked down Martin Luther King Drive. As the officer approached, he “heard something hit the ground and then observed the object roll into the grass.”
The object, a pipe that contained a white substance that field-tested positive for crack cocaine, was recovered.
The Atmore man, who was also on probation, remained in the county jail without bond early Tuesday, May 20. He is being held on one count each of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and tampering with physical evidence.