NASHVILLE – A Dierks woman was sentenced to probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to a drug charge during her arraignment in Howard County Circuit Court.
Johnnie Hughes, 39, was sentenced to three years of probation and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to a single count of possessing drug paraphernalia.
The charge is the result of a June 15 incident during which Hughes and 45 year old Angelia Getts, also of Dierks, were stopped for multiple alleged traffic violations by a member of the Arkansas State Police.
According to police reports, a maroon Ford Mustang with very darkly tinted windows was observed driving not far from the Howard/Sevier county line toward Dierks around 10:45 p.m. The trooper’s report stated that the tint was so heavy he suspected that it might exceed the legal limit on window tint.
After following the vehicle some distance, the trooper reportedly noted that the Mustang’s taillight lens was covered with black tape and that the vehicle had crossed the center line of the highway more than once. The report goes on to state that the trooper stopped the vehicle on Highway 70 West, and that Dierks police investigator John McKee arrived shortly thereafter.
The suspects reportedly stated they were returning to their shared residence in Dierks after driving to the home of Hughes’s aunt to get cold medicine. The trooper’s statement notes that he felt the pair were acting in a nervous manner, and asked for consent to search the vehicle. After denying the presence of any type of contraband, the two allegedly consented to a search of the vehicle.
In the report submitted to the court, the state trooper claimed to have found a small white cloth bag containing a glass pipe wrapped in toilet paper. The pipe was noted as being similar to those used for smoking methamphetamine.
As a result of the incident, Getts also faces a charge of possessing drug paraphernalia, to which she entered a not guilty plea on Wednesday. She was ordered to return to court Aug. 5.
In other court news:
• Curtis Smith, 18, of Mineral Springs, entered not guilty pleas to charges of residential burglary and theft of property, and was ordered to return to court Sept. 16.
• Freddie Robinson, 25, of Nashville, entered not guilty pleas to charges of residential burglary and theft of property, and was ordered to return to court Sept. 16.