Yet another routine stop by county law enforcement officers has landed a Sampson County man in jail on assorted drug and traffic violations.
Johnathon Joseph Ward, 34, of 147 Lorraine St., Clinton, was arrested Friday night and charged with felony possession of cocaine and felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a Schedule II controlled substance. Additionally, he faces misdemeanor charges of simple possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, no operator’s license, having a fictitious title, simple possession of marijuana and failure to appear warrants for driving while license revoked and another NOL.
He was jailed under a $26,500 bond but was reported as having been bailed out over the weekend. He is to make his first appearance in Sampson District Court Friday, May 24.
Ward was taken into custody around 6:15 p.m. Friday in the area of 2487 Hobbton Highway.
Seized during the arrest was 3.4 grams of crack cocaine, 68 dosage units of Oxycodoneydrochloride (15 mg. pills), 0.4 grams of marijuana, 3 dosage units of Oxycodone Hydrocholride (30 mg pills), plastic baggies. lighters and cigarillos.
As in the past, officers noted the significance of traffic stops in halting the use and sale of illegal substances.
Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton often notes that his officers are trained to notice suspicious activity by drivers, something that often lead to the arrest of suspects on drug-related charges.
“One of my main goals is to take drugs off the street,” Thornton said in an interview last month. “Oftentimes these traffic stops help us to do just that.”
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