2 arrested on drug charges after traffic stop for broken headlight
A traffic stop on a vehicle with a broken headlight resulted in the arrest early Saturday of two local women on drug charges, including one facing multiple felony counts after meth and cocaine were allegedly found in her possession.
Taylor Ann Brewer, 26, who is reportedly homeless, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, meth, with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, possession of a controlled, substance, cocaine, punishable by up to 10 years, and possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years, and she had a warrant for failure to appear.
Mandy Adrianna Egge, 28, a parolee who is also reportedly homeless, was charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, obstructing government operations and driving on a suspended driver’s license and was cited for having no insurance, driving an unsafe vehicle and having defective lights.
Brewer was being held on a $17,000 bond and Egge was being held on a zero bond because she has a warrant for a parole violation. Both women were set to appear Monday in Garland County District Court. Brewer lists no prior felony history, but Egge was reportedly convicted on March 9, 2020, of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by certain persons and possession of drug paraphernalia and sentenced to four years in prison, but was later paroled.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday, Hot Springs police Officer Shane Lewis saw a red Chevy TrailBlazer westbound on Albert Pike Road near Hicks Circle and noted the driver’s side headlight was out, so he stopped it near Mountain View Street.
He made contact with the driver, later identified as Egge, who allegedly initially gave him a fake name that couldn’t be found during a computer check. Lewis called for assistance and Officer 1st Class Jonathan Smith and his K-9 partner, Bear, responded and Lewis had the driver get out.
The driver again gave a false name, but when Lewis started to pat her down, she pulled out a marijuana pipe and claimed it had been in the Trailblazer prior to the stop. As the officers had the passengers get out, they identified the driver as Egge and it was determined she had a warrant from the parole board, so she was arrested.
The front seat passenger, identified as Brewer, was “very nervous” and concerned about her bag, Lewis said, but gave consent for him to search it.
Inside the bag, Lewis allegedly found a zipper case that had a glass push rod, a broken meth pipe and a straw. In another part of the bag, he found eight baggies including one with 0.8 gram of what later tested positive for cocaine and a baggie with 0.7 gram of what tested positive for meth.
He found another container that allegedly had 5.9 grams of meth, a baggie with pieces of a Xanax pill, “an orange tablet with the number 20 on it,” and two pieces of marijuana cigars. He also found a set of digital scales in Brewer’s purse.
Once at the detention center, another baggie was found on Brewer that allegedly contained 4.0 grams of meth and a meth pipe. When questioned after being read her rights, Brewer reportedly admitted she was a meth user and the baggies contained meth. She said the baggie with 4.0 grams was “given to her by a friend that owed it to her.”