Probationer allegedly found passed out in van arrested on felony drug charges
A local probationer was arrested on multiple felony charges late Tuesday after he was allegedly found passed out in his van in a parking lot with drugs in his possession.
Jonathan Lee Brown, 41, who lists a Mellwood Street address, was taken into custody shortly after 11:30 p.m. and charged with possession of meth with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, involving pills, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to six years, and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Brown was initially held on a $13,500 bond, but after appearing Wednesday in Garland County District Court, his bond was amended to $5,000 and a felony review hearing is set for April 7. He remained in custody Friday.
According to court records, Brown was convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia in 2015 and sentenced to 10 years’ supervised probation; in 2020 of possession of a controlled substance, meth, and sentenced to four years in prison, all suspended, and he was arrested on July 25, 2022, for aggravated assault on a family or household member, first-degree terroristic threatening and third-degree domestic battery which is still pending with a hearing set for Monday.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Hot Springs police Officer 1st Class Joel Crook responded to the 400 block of Oakwood Avenue for a welfare check on a white male reportedly sleeping or passed out in a white van towards the back of the parking lot.
Officers made contact with the male, later identified as Brown, who was lying across the driver’s and passenger’s seats and appeared to be either asleep or unconscious. It was noted “several attempts were made to wake Brown,” but he would mumble “go away” and “never appeared to fully wake up.”
Sgt. Joey Williams opened the passenger door and grabbed Brown’s foot to “further get his attention” and Brown jerked his foot away. At that point, Williams reportedly saw a plastic baggie with pills in plain view and another baggie of white powder so they had Brown exit the vehicle.
In searching Brown, officers allegedly found a box in his pocket that contained two baggies of a white crystal substance. In searching the vehicle, they found two baggies of syringes, a digital scale, a marijuana joint, two glass pipes and two homemade smoking pipes.
The total amount of what later tested positive for meth was 7.8 grams. Seven of the pills were identified as clonazepam and six as lorazepam. There was also a baggie of an off-white powdery substance the officers were unable to identify that was sent to the state crime lab in Little Rock for further testing.
Brown was taken into custody without incident and the HSPD Special Investigations Unit assumed the investigation.