A traffic stop in the city of Charleston last week led law enforcement to the discovery of a stash of processed marijuana at a residence in the Cascilla community and marijuana plants growing nearby, according to Tallahatchie County Sheriff Jimmy Fly.
Bryan Keith Carpenter, 55, of 111 Pressgrove Road, Cascilla, has been charged by the sheriff’s office with manufacture of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute, said Fly. Carpenter also has been cited by the Charleston Police Department for simple possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle, the sheriff added.
The initial discovery was made on the night of Sept. 17 after Carpenter’s vehicle was stopped by Charleston police for a minor traffic violation. Officers smelled marijuana, asked Carpenter about the odor and he reportedly exhibited a small package of a substance believed to be marijuana, Fly said.
“During the roadside investigation, he admitted to having plants at home,” the sheriff added.
Since Carpenter lives out in the county, the police contacted the sheriff’s office to head up the investigation at the rural location.
“He signed a consent to search his residence, and a search was performed that night,” said Fly, who noted that about 20 plastic bags of processed marijuana were found in a bedroom at Carpenter’s home.
The packaged marijuana, estimated to weigh from a half-pound to 1 pound, has an estimated street value of about $500, the sheriff added.
Carpenter also admitted to law enforcement that he had eight marijuana plants growing near his house, Fly said, explaining that the man tried to guide officials to the plot on the night of the 17th but apparently got turned around in the darkness.
The next morning, on Sept. 18, Carpenter led deputies to a site in the woods about one mile from his home, on the property of an adjacent landowner, where they found the eight marijuana plants standing at heights of 6 to 8 feet, said Fly. Each plant has an estimated street value of about $1,000, he added.
The packaged marijuana and the marijuana plants were sent to the state crime lab for processing, including weighing and further analysis, the sheriff noted.
Fly hailed this particular case as a classic example of how cooperation between local law enforcement agencies can produce successful results in crime fighting.
