April 30, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
A trio found with methamphetamine during a traffic stop last Tuesday, April 23 will be making an appearance in court next week on the charges.
48-year-old Stephanie Ann Pierce of Blue Springs Road, Sparta, 23-year-old Hunter Ray Murphy of Green Hill Road, Smithville, and 59-year-old David Lloyd Close of Holmes Creek’s Road, Smithville are each charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver. Murphy and Close are also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond for Pierce is $20,000. Murphy and Close are each under a $22,500 bond. All will appear in General Sessions Court May 9.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Tuesday, April 23 a deputy pulled over a gray Nissan Altima on Midway Road at the intersection of Dunn Lane after noticing the vehicle’s driver side taillight was out. The officer spoke to the driver, Pierce who volunteered that her vehicle had no valid insurance. Both Murphy and Close were in the automobile with Pierce. Close was seated on the front passenger side and Murphy was in the back seat on the driver side. All three gave consent for the deputy to search them but Pierce didn’t want the officer to search her vehicle. The search of Close yielded a gray metal cylinder which had a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine. After discovery of the cylinder, which was in Close’s pants pocket, the deputy conducted a full vehicle search and found a green L & D cigarette pack in the rear seat which held 0.94 grams of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine. A further search of the vehicle produced drug paraphernalia from a black bag in the rear seat floorboard with Murphy’s wallet and driver license in it. A black digital scale with a white powdery substance believed to be meth was also recovered. After all three denied that the substances found belonged to them they were placed under arrest.