Felon sentenced to five years on drug charges
A Smackover man arrested on felony drug charges in 2020 following a traffic stop in Mountain Pine was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty in Garland County Circuit Court.
Marcques Anthony McElroy, 32, a felon on probation at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to possession of meth with purpose to deliver, possession of a firearm by certain persons, unauthorized use of another person’s property to facilitate a crime and possession of drug paraphernalia and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 15 years suspended, on each count, to run concurrently.
Additional felony charges of simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver and an additional count of possession of drug paraphernalia were withdrawn. Ac- cording to court records, McElroy was convicted of robbery in Ouachita County in 2015 and sentenced to five years’ probation.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Nov. 25, 2020, shortly before 5 p.m., Mountain Pine Police Capt. Richard Lobbs made a traffic stop on a 2005 Chevy Equinox at Blakely Dam Road and McCurtain Street after noting the vehicle’s headlight was out.
He made contact with the driver, identified as McElroy, and discovered his driver’s license was suspended. When asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, McElroy said there was “weed” in a plastic container between the seats and admitted he didn’t have a medical marijuana card.
In searching the vehicle, officers located a plastic container with 1.1 grams of marijuana. When asked if there was anything else, McElroy said, “Yes, there is some meth in a blue speaker box under the front passenger seat.”
Officers located the box, which contained digital scales, two syringes, including one with 25ml of liquid meth, two pills later identified as diazepam, a baggie with 2.6 grams of meth and a baggie with 1.8 grams of a white powder that did not test positive for meth or cocaine.
Officers also located a box of .22-caliber bullets and asked McElroy where the gun was located. He told them it was under the driver’s seat and they recovered a loaded H&R .22-caliber revolver in a holster from there.
It was determined the vehicle was registered to someone else. Agents with the 18th Judicial District East Drug Task Force were notified and responded to the scene to assume the investigation.
McElroy was initially held on zero bond, but was released on a $50,000 bond on Dec. 31, 2020. He failed to appear for his plea and arraignment on March 9, 2021, so a warrant was issued and he was arrested on June 8. He was released again on a $20,000 bond on Aug. 10 and was set to stand trial Tuesday, but opted to plead guilty.