Couple arrested for second time after drug raid
A Hot Springs man and his wife were arrested early Friday on multiple felony charges after Hot Springs police executed a narcotics search warrant on their home, less than three years after a similar raid resulted in their arrests.
Tony Deandry Collins, 43, alias
“B Roll,” and his wife, Michelle Lynn
Collins, 49, of 201 Brad St., were taken into custody at their residence shortly after 6 a.m. and each charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, punishable by up to life in prison, possession of cocaine with purpose to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and unauthorized use of another person’s property to facilitate a crime, each punishable by up to 20 years, and a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver.
Tony Collins, a previously convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history, was also charged with a felony count of possession of a firearm by certain persons, punishable by up to 20 years.
Both were initially held on zero bond and appeared via video Monday in Garland County District Court before Judge Ralph Ohm and pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Bond for Michelle Collins was set at $16,000, plus $1,000 on a failure to appear charge, while bond for Tony Collins was set at $30,000. A felony review hearing for both is set for April 30.
The two were previously arrested on similar charges on Nov. 5, 2015, when Hot Springs police raided their then residence in the 100 block of Burroughs Street. Tony Collins pleaded guilty on Sept. 6, 2016, to two counts of possession with purpose to deliver, involving cocaine and marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia and was sentenced to eight years in prison. The charges against Michelle Collins were withdrawn by prosecutors on Sept. 8, 2016.
According to the probable cause affidavit for Friday’s arrests, officers with the police department’s Special Investigations-Narcotics Unit utilized the police SWAT team to execute a search warrant at the Brad Street residence at approximately 6:05 a.m. and located Tony and Michelle Collins
in the master bedroom.
After the residence and the couple were secured, the narcotics officers conducted a search of the home and a Mercury Marquis parked outside. A halfsmoked marijuana blunt was allegedly found in the bedroom next to the bed and a set of digital scales and multiple baggies were found in the kitchen.
In a bedroom closet, which was open, officers found a 9-mm handgun and a second set of scales. In the Marquis, they reportedly found a paper sack with 4.6 grams of what later tested positive for crack cocaine and a plastic bag with 11.3 grams of what later tested positive for marijuana.
Officers also found the title to another Marquis belonging to Tony Collins, bills, IDs and other paperwork in both the Collins’ names, two cellphones and $169 in cash.
Investigators determined the residence belonged to a trust and that it was located less than 1,000 feet from a school bus stop at the intersection of Central Avenue and Hagen Street.
Tony Collins was arrested Feb. 27,
2018, on a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to
10 years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated, after a traffic stop by Garland County sheriff’s deputies. He was later released on $4,500 bond and the case has been bound over to Garland County Circuit Court.
According to the affidavit, shortly after 12:30 a.m., Deputy Clayton Green got behind a Mercury Marquis on Park Avenue near Fountain Lake School and noticed it crossed the centerline multiple times so he stopped it.
He made contact with the driver, identified as Collins, and noted a strong smell of intoxicants and marijuana and an open container of beer in the front seat. Collins submitted to three field sobriety tests which he reportedly failed so he was taken into custody.
During an inventory of the vehicle, deputies allegedly found a plastic sack with two bags of marijuana, a total of 252.5 grams or more than half a pound.