Break-in arrest leads to felony drug charges
A felon on probation arrested Wednesday night after allegedly breaking into a local man’s shed was soon facing felony charges after drugs and paraphernalia were reportedly found in his possession.
Jeffery Wayne Shaw, 35, who lists a Dell Street address, was taken into custody around 7:15 p.m. and charged with felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to six years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of first-degree criminal mischief, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Shaw remained in custody Thursday in lieu of a $6,000 bond and is set to appear today in Garland County District Court.
He was previously convicted in 2013 of theft by receiving and sentenced to six years in prison but later paroled. On July 7, 2021, he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance, meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia and sentenced to six years in prison with all of it suspended.
According to the probable cause affidavit, around 7 p.m. Wednesday, Hot Springs police Officer Cash Murray responded to a residence in the 700 block of Park Avenue regarding a man breaking into a shed on the property.
Murray made contact with the homeowner who directed him to Shaw, whom Murray recognized, who was near a shed that had the front doors “hanging off” and the hinges appeared to have fresh damage to them.
The homeowner stated he had hired Shaw to do some work at the residence earlier in the day, but “he had no reason to be there that night and no reason to be in or near the shed.” The man said he saw Shaw getting into the shed when he pulled up.
Murray took Shaw into custody on the criminal mischief charge for the damage to the shed and in searching him prior to arrest allegedly found a glass pipe, commonly used to smoke meth, in his pants pocket.
Shaw made a spontaneous statement that he meant to tell Murray about the pipe. Inside a pack of cigarettes, Shaw had the officer allegedly found a 0.9 gram of what later tested positive for meth wrapped in cellophane.