A FM 71 traffic stop resulted in a 49-year-old Sulphur Springs man’s arrest on a controlled substance charge Friday night.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Justin Wilkerson attempted to stop a Ford F-150 at 7:38 p.m. Oct. 16 after discovering the registration on the westbound truck expired in September of 2016. Wilkerson alleged the driver, identified in arrest reports as Richie Wayne Porter, took longer than the normal amount of time pulling over, instead continuing to his FM 71 west residence.
Wilkerson contacted Porter as the man began exiting the pickup, which he alleged had a false registration sticker visible on the windshield. When asked if the vehicle contained anything illegal, Porter reportedly agreed to let the deputy search the silver truck. Wilkerson instructed Porter to stand in front of his patrol vehicle while he conducted a records check.
Porter allegedly admitted to the possible presence of marijuana in the truck and was placed into handcuffs to wait while Wilkerson searched the truck. Wilkerson located a small amount of a green, leafy substance suspected to be the possible marijuana indicated by Porter as well as more than one item of drug paraphernalia.
Deputy Chris Baumann arrived to assist Wilkerson. Deputies located a one-dollar bill containing a crystal-like substance suspected to be methamphetamine on further search of the Ford. Consequently, Porter was placed into custody at 7:57 p.m. Oct. 16. After further search of the truck revealed no additional contraband, the truck was released to a person at the residence and Wilkerson transported Porter to jail, the deputy noted in arrest reports.
At the jail, the crystal-like substance field tested positive for methamphetamine; the substance and dollar bill weighed 0.991 gram. Porter was booked into Hopkins County jail for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, according to arrest reports.
Richie Wayne Porter remained in Hopkins County jail Saturday morning, Oct. 17. Bond on the controlled substance charge was set at $5,000, according to arrest reports.
Friday was the second time in 5 months that Porter has been booked into Hopkins County jail. He was also arrested May 27 for possession of 4 grams or more but less than 200 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance and failure to identify. He was released from jail June 14, on a $30,000 bond on the controlled substance charge and a $1,000 bond on the failure to ID charge, according to jail reports.
His criminal history includes being booked into Hopkins County jail 2 dozen times. He was held Dec. 13, 2013-March 6, 2014, on a bench warrant for a theft charge, surety off bond on a theft charge and a controlled substance charge, a 6-month jail sentence for for a possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, 15-year prison sentence for possession of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance and a 10-year sentence for manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, according to jail reports.
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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.
