March 21, 2024 – A Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputy was on patrol in Como and noticed a car traveling down a dead in street just after 1am early Thursday morning. A records check of the license plate of the vehicle returned registration from Gilmer, Tx. The officer initiated a traffic stop as the suspicious vehicle seemed to be lost in it’s travels. Upon making contact with the driver, the officer noticed the driver appeared to be under the influence of a possible narcotic. A records check of the driver also revealed an active Parole warrant. The officer asked the driver for consent to search the vehicle, and was denied consent to search. A female passenger and her three young children were asked to exit the vehicle and complied. A K-9 deputy was requested to the scene, and the canine quickly alerted on the vehicle. A search was conducted on the vehicle and a glass pipe of the kind commonly used to smoke methamphetamine was found in the glove box. Deputies also located a crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine in the center console. The driver, Joseph Dalton Dodson, age 30, was arrested as well as the adult passenger, Renee Leigh Dodson, age 28. Both suspects showed Gilmer addresses. The three young children were transported to the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office and released to a family friend per Child Protective Services request.
Once at the Sheriff’s Office, the crystal-like substance tested positive as methamphetamine and weighed approximately 4.223 grams. Both suspects were booked into the Hopkins County Jail, with each receiveing charges of Possession of A Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 >4g<200g, a second degree felony, and three charges each of Endangering a Child (State Jail Felony). The Dodson Pair await for their bonds to be set in the matter.
