What began as a call about someone possibly tampering with a vehicle in Kenly, North Carolina, quickly became a considerably larger narcotics investigation. Police say officers ultimately found approximately 108 grams of suspected methamphetamine after making contact with the man at the center of the call.
Kenly Police Department officers responded to the suspicious-person report on September 9, with Officer Reed arriving alongside Major Dixon and Officer Watson. There, officers encountered 43-year-old Kenly resident Jonathan Marchal and began investigating what had happened around the vehicle.
According to police, the investigation led officers to suspected methamphetamine found both on Marchal and inside a backpack he was wearing. Authorities say the suspected drugs weighed approximately 108 grams, turning what started with a vehicle into a case that would include multiple felony drug charges.
Officers also recovered a glass pipe that police described as commonly used to introduce narcotics into the body. Marchal was subsequently taken into custody and transported to the Johnston County Detention Center.
Police Say 108 Grams of Suspected Meth Led To Trafficking Charge
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Marchal was booked on felony charges of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a Schedule II controlled substance, and trafficking in methamphetamine. Police also charged him with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
The original reason officers were called to the scene did not disappear from the case either. Marchal was additionally charged with misdemeanor injury or tampering with a vehicle, with Johnston County inmate records also listing that charge following his September 9 booking.
Marchal received a $100,000 secured bond following his arrest, according to the Kenly Police Department. The department emphasized that the charges against him remain allegations and that he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Please note that the image that is being used in the police report above was not the same as the one featured in Marchal’s booking photo, which is what we used in our featured image.
A Vehicle Call Becomes a Much Larger Investigation
Kenly police did not provide further details about the vehicle Marchal is accused of tampering with or explain what officers believe he was doing when the original caller became suspicious. The department also did not identify the vehicle’s owner or indicate whether it sustained any significant damage.
What police did detail was the amount of suspected methamphetamine officers say they encountered once the investigation was underway. At approximately 108 grams, the discovery resulted in charges extending well beyond the misdemeanor vehicle offense that initially brought officers to the scene.
The arrest ultimately left Marchal facing three felony drug charges alongside two misdemeanor offenses after what began as a call for service involving a suspicious person. Police have not released additional information about the investigation or indicated whether they expect any further charges.