Two Hopkins County residents and a Caddo Mills resident were arrested over the weekend by sheriff’s deputies for controlled substance possession, stemming from two separate traffic stops.
Hopkins County Sheriff‘s Deputy Bobby Osornio reported stopping a Dodge 2500 just before 8 p.m. Saturday, March 14, on State Highway 11 east at County Road 2320 after noticing the pickup’s license plate light was out. Upon contact with driver Robert Hawkins, Deputy Osornio alleged he could smell a marijuana odor emitting from the truck and noted that Hawkins appeared nervous while talking to him. Hawkins allegedly admitted to having marijuana paraphernalia in the vehicle.
Osornio reported Hawkins initially refused to exit the truck when the deputy attempted to conduct a probable cause search, and later was removed from the truck and put into handcuffs. A small bag containing a white-crystal like substance the deputy suspected to be methamphetamine, a black bag with drug paraphernalia and a cigarette carton with suspected marijuana drug paraphernalia were allegedly located. Consequently, Hawkins was taken to jail for possession of less than 1gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substances, according to arrest reports.
Robert Earl Hawkins Jr., 35, of Sulphur Springs was released from jail Sunday, March 15. Bond on the charge was set at $5,000, according to jail reports.
His arrest this weekend marked the second time Hawkins has been booked into the county jail this year. He was also arrested Jan. 6 for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance in a drug-free zone and on a traffic warrant, according to jail reports.
A Caddo Mills man was stopped for an alleged traffic violation in a Dodge 1500 pickup at 1:51 a.m. March 16 on Hillcrest Drive. He and the Brashear passenger ended up in jail on controlled substance charge, according to arrest reports.
Upon contact, the driver allegedly showed signs of extreme nervousness and was hesitant to provide identification. Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputy Colt Patterson was called to bring his canine partner to the scene after the occupants refused to allow officers to search the pickup, Sgt. Scott Davis and Deputy Zack Horne alleged in arrest reports. K9 Maly gave a positive response during an olfactory open air sniff search around the vehicle, resulting in a probable cause search, according to arrest reports.
A black bag on the driver’s side floorboard allegedly had a match box in it; and a small bag allegedly contained suspected marijuana, a small marijuana pipe, a smaller blue baggy with a crystal-like substance suspected by deputies to be methamphetamine were also located, accordin to arrest reports.
Both the driver, identified in reports as 41-year-old Rickey Ervin Neal Jr. of Caddo Mills, and passenger, identified as 36-year-old Jessica Nicole Parker of Brashear, allegedly denied ownership of the suspected methamphetamine.
The driver allegedly claimed the methamphetamine was fake while the passenger claimed she only knew of marijuana being in the truck. Both Neal and Parker were taken into custody. A field test of the suspected methamphetamine showed a positive response and weighed less than 1 gram, including packaging, resulting in both being charged with possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, according to arrest reports.
Both were released from jail later March 16 on the charge. Bond was set at $5,000 each, according to jail reports.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
