A suspected impaired driver’s day went from slightly inconvenient to bad when it ended in a felony drug arrest. Police pulled the vehicle over after suspecting the driver was intoxicated. The stop didn’t turn up alcohol, though. According to police, it turned up methamphetamine instead.
During the stop, a K-9 deputy from the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office arrived to assist to sniff out the drugs. Officers reported finding about 8.6 grams of suspected meth inside the vehicle, according to KXII. The driver was arrested and summarily booked into the Grayson County Jail. There, they were charged with a felony: possession of a controlled substance.
Gunter police credited the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office for the assist with the arrest. The traffic stop, the organization said, is part of an initiative to pull narcotics off the streets. While a small step forward, it was a step nevertheless.
A meth case in Texas leans heavily on the amount seized, so a conviction will require clear info on that count. But how did a suspected traffic stop go so awry? Well, the meth existing at all was a major part of the problem.
What a Meth Charge Carries Under Texas Law
In Texas, methamphetamine falls into Penalty Group 1. That’s the category the state reserves for what it treats as the most dangerous drugs. Substances like cocaine and heroin are included in that group as well. Possession of these drugs is always a felony, and the amount decides how serious under state law. Less than a gram is the lowest tier, and grams or more pushes it into second-degree-felony range, punishable by 2 to 20 years.
At about 8.6 grams, the amount police reported falls in that second-degree band, well above the four-gram line. The figure is still preliminary, because lab testing will have to confirm both the substance and the amount in the end. It’s also worth remembering that the weight includes any cutting agents mixed in. It’s highly possible there are other drugs mixed in.
How a DWI Stop Became a Drug Case
A stop for suspected impairment is its own investigation, and it can open up even further if officers develop reason to suspect something more. That’s often where a K-9 unit comes in. They’re trained to detect narcotics can give officers probable cause to search a vehicle once it alerts. In this case, as mentioned, a Grayson County K-9 deputy was called to the scene during the stop.
Since the driver was booked at the Grayson County Jail, their felony charge will next go to prosecutors, who bring it before a grand jury to decide whether an indictment follows. That can take weeks or months. Whatever the case may be for this driver, one thing’s for sure: they should probably have left the narcotics at home that day.