HALF POUND OF SUSPECTED METHAMPHETAMINE FOUND IN IMPOUNDED VEHICLEA Poplar Bluff man is facing multiple charges after half of a pound of suspected methamphetamine was discovered in a vehicle he was found unconscious in.
Captain Dave Sutton with the Poplar Bluff Police Department tells us more about the incident.
DAVE SUTTON:
On Tuesday night at approximately 8:20 pm Officers with the Poplar Bluff Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of South 6th street at Park Street in reference to a vehicle blocking the roadway. Upon their arrival, they found a silver jeep parked, running, in both lanes. The driver was unconscious with his foot on the brake.
Officer Hopper parked his patrol car in front of the jeep in case the drive’s foot slipped from the brake, and he and K-9 Officer Duckett knocked on the jeep windows until the driver woke. At their request, the driver placed the jeep in park and stepped out.
The driver was identified as Titus Turner, 25 years old, of Poplar Bluff. Turner did not have a valid license, so the jeep was impounded and towed. During an inventory of the vehicle contents Officer Akers located a half pound of suspected methamphetamine and a set of digital scales. Turner was taken into custody and transported to the station. At the time of his arrest, Turner had over $1,000 on his person.
Titus Turner was booked in on a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. He was then lodged in the Butler County Jail.
MAN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO ROBBERY IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS An arrest has been made in connection to a robbery last week in Northeast Arkansas.
Officials with the Paragould Police Department tell KWOC News that police responded to a report of an aggravated robbery at Jordan’s Northend on Friday, December 9th.
Police have since arrested Samuel Weeams for his alleged involvement in the incident. Charges for Weeams were not available.
POPLAR BLUFF POLICE SAY HEROIN IS BECOMING A PROBLEM IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI Authorities in Poplar Bluff say that Heroin is becoming a serious problem in Southeast Missouri.
Detective Corey Mitchell with the Poplar Bluff Police Department tells us that the number of heroin deaths was actually higher than gun deaths in 2015.
COREY MITCHELL:
According to the Washington Post, a story that was documented in the Washington Post February 8th 2016, as far as the heroin related deaths have surpassed the gun homicides for the first time in the United States. This data was pulled from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention. There's a little bit of a drop in gun violence, however in 2015 gun homicides were estimated at roughly 12,179 and were surpassed by heroin-related deaths at 12,989. On a local level we as law enforcement it's pretty much a weekly occurrence where officers with the Poplar Bluff Police Department and I'm sure the Butler County and the Highway Patrol are responding to heroin-related overdoses, but as far as the city we've got at least 30 documented overdose related calls for the year. That's not including unresponsive persons or medical assist. To me and to the city of Poplar Bluff, 30 is way too high.
Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley tells us that his department is working with various agencies in order to fight the spread of the drug in Poplar Bluff.
DANNY WHITELEY:
A number of years ago we discovered that the Poplar Bluff Area 13 counties in Southeast Missouri led the entire state in the distribution of Oxycontin, hydrocodone, Xanax, Soma, and Fentanyl. We saw the dramatic increase in that and worked some cases that slowed that down some but in that we found that heroin was starting to become frequent in our area. The prescription pills had gotten so high, because it took a doctor's prescription to get them, that it allowed the heroin dealers to come to Poplar Bluff and Southeast Missouri area selling heroin cheaper than what the opioid pills were bringing. I never thought heroin would be in Poplar Bluff but it’s here now, we've got a serious problem with it. It's all over Southeast Missouri not just Poplar Bluff but over the whole state actually. It brings with it a lot of violence that you don't normally see even with methamphetamine or marijuana. It's so addictive and the withdrawal symptoms are so bad now we're getting into these deaths and we have got to put a halt on that. Detective Mitchell is assigned to the DEA in Cape, Jason Morgan is assigned to the SEMO drug task force, Steve McKane works with both of them and if we didn't have these working relationships with the state and federal partners we couldn't combat this thing because we don't have nearly the manpower to do that nor does any other agency. You have to utilize your brother and sister agencies to fight this problem and that's what we're doing daily. We've been meeting with the various medical professionals on the NARCAN which is something that would be very helpful if we come to a situation where we have an unresponsive person and the NARCAN will bring them back nine times out of ten and give you time to get them to a medical facility to hopefully revive them and get back alive again. We're working on some legal procedures and policies to put this in place anytime you're dealing with medical issues and as law enforcement that's not our normal forte but there are departments statewide that have went to this and we've looked at several different avenues for legal advice from our city attorney and Statewide Missouri Police Association model policies and stuff like that so we're trying to implement but obviously when you have a huge liability exposure like that you gotta get your ducks in a row and that's what we're doing now. I would also like to ask the citizens without the citizens help a lot of time we can’t complete investigations any time you see something suspicious you have a neighbor or a friend or relative you're concerned about, just get ahold of us and let us know about it. We will take the appropriate action from there. But to the dope dealers we know who most of you are and we're going to come and get you and we're going to put you in prison. That is a promise.
PUXICO MAN ARRESTED ON CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES WARRANT A Puxico man is in custody following his arrest on a controlled substance warrant.
According to the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Department, 43 year old Benny Cutrell was recently arrested on a warrant for distribution of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.
Cutrell remained in jail as of this morning and his bond has been set at $50,000 cash.
PB MIDDLE SCHOOL’S ST. JUDE GIFT WRAP FUNDRAISER SCHEDULED FOR TODAY
Area residents who want to get their Christmas presents wrapped and also help a good cause will get a chance today in Poplar Bluff.
The Poplar Bluff Middle School's ninth annual St. Jude Gift Wrap fundraiser will have its second and final day today from 3 to 6:30 pm at the Kay Porter Theater.
Officials say there is no set price for present wrapping services, but a monetary donation to the children's research hospital is encouraged.
