Stop leads to arrest on drug charges
Sheriff’s files
STEVEN MROSS
The Sentinel-Record staff
A routine traffic stop on a vehicle with no taillights led to the arrest of a local man on felony and misdemeanor drug charges Sunday morning.
Elvis Banks II, 31, who lists an address of 108 Chelle St., was taken into custody shortly after 10:30 a.m. and charged with a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamines, punishable by up to six years in prison, and possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail.
Banks, who was previously convicted on a felony in Hot Springs in 2005, remained in custody Monday in lieu of $5,500 bond and is set to appear Jan. 7, 2014, in Garland County District Court.
According to reports, shortly after 9:30 a.m., Garland County Sheriff’s Deputy Melvin Holland made a traffic stop on a blue 20003 Kia in the 100 block of White Sulphur Road after noting it had no taillights and after stopping, the driver bailed out and fled on foot.
Holland notified dispatchers about the fleeing driver, but stayed with the vehicle, which had two other occupants, including a front seat passenger, identified as Banks, and another male, 23, in the back seat.
He asked the two passengers who the driver who fled was and they would only tell him it was someone they knew as Matt. GCSD Deputy Josh Cannon arrived to assist and while talking to Banks he noticed a cigarette case near him.
The box was found to contain two glass smoking pipes, 14 pills later identified as Trazodone and clear plastic baggie which contained about one gram of what tested positive for meth.
The other passenger was apparently not charged in connection with the incident and the driver was not located.
