Como Traffic Stop Results In 1 Felony Arrest
When Sulphur Springs Police and Special Crimes Unit investigators executed a search warrant at a Van Sickle Street address at 5 p.m. Sunday, they found suspected methamphetamine, THC, marijuana and drug paraphernalia and took three people into custody, according to arrest reports. In an unrelated incident, a Brashear man was accused Sunday of trying to discard meth pipe under a car during a Como traffic stop, according to sheriff’s reports.
Van Sickle Street Search
SCU Lt. Mark Estes reported finding a crystal-like substance in the night stand directly beside Barbara Jeanne Schmidt’s bed. The 65-year-old Sulphur Springs woman admitted to having the meth and was taken into custody at 6:30 p.m. July 31, 2022 and transported to jail, SSPD Officer Sean Hoffman and Lt. Estes noted in arrest reports.
Lt. Estes reported another Van Sickle Street resident, Mark Anthony Robinson, claimed ownership of a box containing drug paraphernalia, marijuana and THC found under a couch. The 53-year-old Sulphur Springs man was also arrested at 6:30 p.m. and transported to jail.
The officers also reported finding a 38-year-old staying at the Van Sickle Street residence, after being warned by police to stay away. Dispatchers confirmed an active criminal trespass warning on file prohibiting the woman from being at the Van Sickle Street address. Consequently, the officers also took her into custody around 6:30 p.m. July 31, 2022, and transported her to jail. She was booked into jail at 7:52 p.m. Sunday on a Class B misdemeanor criminal trespass charge, according to arrest reports.
Schmidt was booked into Hopkins County jail at 7:21 p.m. Sunday for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance; a drug-free zone enhancement was added due to the proximity of the address to a childcare facility. She was released from jail Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, on a $5,000 bond on the third-degree felony controlled substance charge, according to jail reports.
Robinson was booked into jail at 7:40 p.m. July 31 for possession of less than 2 ounces of the Penalty Group 2 controlled substance THC in a drug-free zone. He remained in Hopkins County jail Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, in lieu of the $5,000 bond set on the felony charge, according to jail reports.
KSST does not publish the photos or names of people charged with misdemeanor crimes in staff-generated reports, only those accused of felony offenses.
Como Traffic Stop
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Elijah Fite reported stopping a black Toyota 4-Runner at 2:19 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2022, on Gaskins Street at Katy Street in Como, after seeing the eastbound SUV fail to stop at the designated stopping point at the intersection of State Highway 11 east at FM 69 south, then turn north on FM 69 south.
The front seat passenger reportedly admitted to being a felon and later claimed he was nervous. When the driver of the SUV refused permission to search its contents for potential contraband, the deputy said he had both men step out of the SUV. The passenger was hesitant to step out of the SUV, but did get out to await a police canine for a sniff search around the vehicle, Fite alleged in arrest reports.
A short time later, Fite and Deputy Kevin Lester alleged in arrest reports, the driver changed his mind about letting the deputies search the vehicle. “The driver stated it was too hot outside to wait for a K9 and he had placed to be and insisted we search his vehicle,” deputies wrote in arrest reports.
While conducting the search, one of the deputies reported stepping on a glass pipe of the kind commonly used to smoke methamphetamine lying under the rear passenger’s side door. He placed the Christopher Shane Freeman into custody at 2:38 p.m. July 31, 2022, pending further investigation of the paraphernalia. After the search, the driver was released with a verbal warning for the traffic violation, while 48-year-old Freeman was taken to jail.
Once at the jail, Fite reviewed his car dashcam video, which he reported showed Freeman making furtive movement after exiting the vehicle. A glass pipe then fell to the ground, where it was later recovered by the deputy. As a result, the Brashear man was booked into the county jail at 4:24 p.m. July 31, 2022, for tampering with evidence. Freeman was released from Hopkins County jail on a $2,000 bond on the felony charge Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.
KSSTRadio.com publishes Sulphur Springs Police Department reports and news. The Police Department is located at 125 Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Texas. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 885-7602.
If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department continues to serve its citizens with pride in its overall mission and will strive to provide the best possible police force in the 21st century.
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.
