Traffic stop leads to arrest of passenger on drug charge
A routine traffic stop lead to the arrest of a passenger in the vehicle on a misdemeanor drug charge Thursday afternoon.
Uriel Rodriquez, 21, who lists an address of 1507 Spring St., was taken into custody around 1: 45 p. m. and charged with possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, punishable by up to one year in jail.
He was later released on $ 1,000 bond and is set to appear Feb. 25 in Garland County District Court.
According to reports, Garland County sheriff’s Deputy Greg Kellar made a traffic stop on a black 2002 Cadillac Escalade in the parking lot of West Gate Plaza at 2228 Albert Pike after noticing the tags were expired and returned to a different vehicle.
He made contact with the occupants of the vehicle and noted a strong odor of marijuana coming from the interior. When he asked if anyone had any drugs in their possession, the front seat passenger, identified as Rodriquez, told him he had put some in the passenger side door panel.
Kellar walked around and retrieved the drugs, approximately 2 grams, which were in a green pill bottle in the door.
Rodriquez was taken into custody without incident. The report did not indicate if the driver was issued any citations.
• A disabled local woman was reportedly attacked and severely injured by a known female suspect during a confrontation in a parking lot late Thursday.
The victim, 63, was transported to Mercy Hospital Hot Springs where she was treated for a broken nose, several cuts to her face and forehead and severe bruising to her face and swelling to her left cheek.
The victim states that around 9: 45 p. m. she had met the suspect, 52, of Hot Springs Village, in a parking lot at 301 Lakeland Drive after the suspect had been sending her threatening messages via texts and phone calls.
The victim states the suspect attacked her as soon as she got out of her car, causing the injuries. She noted the suspect had told her she “had guns” and “would use them.” The victim reportedly has audio recordings of the threats.
The incident was still under investigation Friday, but no charges had been filed.
• A 14- year- old Lake Hamilton Junior High student was arrested at the school Thursday after he was found to have a pill in his possession belonging to his sister.
The student was taken into custody around 11 a. m. on a misdemeanor charge of fraudulent use of a controlled substance, punishable by up to one year in jail. The Sentinel- Record follows The Associated Press privacy policies and does not publish the names of juvenile offenders, unless they are charged as adults.
According to the report, Bryan Cook, assistant principal at Lake Hamilton Junior High, 281 Wolf St., states the student asked to go the nurse’s office that morning, and he asked that the student come see him after going the nurse because the same student had gone to see the nurse two days earlier and didn’t return to campus.
Cook had contacted the student’s mother, who told him the student had recently tested positive for marijuana and she suspected that was probably what he was doing.
When the student came to Cook’s office, he asked him if he could search him based on the previous incident. The student told him he didn’t have any drugs, but had his hand in his jacket pocket. He kept his fist closed at first, but finally put two pills he was holding on Cook’s desk.
One of the pills was a medication the student had a prescription for but the other pill, Clonidine, was one that his sister had a prescription for, according to the mother, so Cook alerted authorities.