Major Drug Bust in Palestine
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
PALESTINE– An early Tuesday morning traffic stop in Palestine led to a major drug seizure, as well as the arrest of a 33-year-old Palestine woman on seven criminal charges.
According to information provided by Palestine Police/Community Liaison/PIO Michele Herbert, “Around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14, Palestine Police Officer Nicholas Martinez attempted to stop a Mazda passenger car near the intersection of W. Kolstad and Cottage.”
Herbert stated the driver of the vehicle failed to stop and attempted to avoid being pulled over. Eventually, the Mazda came to a stop at a residence in the 800 blk. of Louisiana.
Once the vehicle came to a halt, “… Officer Martinez then detained the driver and identified her as Jasmine Thompson, 33, of Palestine. While making contact with Thompson, Officer Martinez observed narcotics paraphernalia inside of the vehicle.”
The observation of the narcotics paraphernalia gave officers probable cause to conduct a search of the vehicle. A search was conducted and yielded:
- 371 grams of suspected methamphetamine
- 116 grams of suspected ecstasy
- 111 grams of suspected PCP
- 19 grams of suspected cocaine
- 5 grams of crack cocaine
- 13 grams suspected hydrocodone
- 2 ounces of suspected K2
- Scales and baggies
- Handgun
Thompson was arrested and transported to the Anderson County Jail where she was booked into custody on the following charges:
- Manufacture/Delivery of Controlled Substance PG1 4g-200g
- Manufacture/Delivery of Controlled Substance PG2/2A 4g-200g
- Manufacture/Delivery of Controlled Substance PG3/4 <28g
- Possession of Controlled Substance PG3<28g
- Tamper/Fabricate Physical Evidence w/ Intent to Impair
- Evading Arrest with Vehicle
- Unlawful Carrying of Weapon
Following the arrest, Palestine Police Chief Mark Harcrow commented, “Officer Martinez did an outstanding job at getting a large amount of illegal drugs off of our streets. I am grateful for the hard work these officers are putting in every day to keep our community safe.”
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
