Traffic stop yields drug arrest
Published 12:12 am Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Lawrence Mel Tetterton, 25, a resident of N.C. Highway 33 East, Aurora, was arrested Jan. 27 after a traffic stop on Highway 33.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a press release that Deputy Jason Cleary observed suspicious activity in a convenience store parking lot in the Edward community. Cleary followed a vehicle that left the parking lot to observe the vehicle’s operation. When the vehicle traveled left of center and exceeded the posted speed limit, Cleary initiated a traffic stop near Stilley Town Road.
According to the release, Cleary detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage and observed an open container of beer inside the vehicle while speaking to the driver. During a search of the vehicle, Cleary discovered a bag in the glove compartment containing 20 individually packaged baggies of marijuana and 4 Hydrocodone pills. As a result, Tetteron was arrested and transported to the Magistrate’s Office where he was charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana and possession of a schedule II controlled substance.
A statement from the sheriff’s office said the amount of marijuana in Tetterton’s possession was “less than 1/2 ounce, but the charge is based on the manner of packaging (20 baggies) which indicates an intent to sell or deliver.”
Tetterton was held in the Beaufort County Detention Center on a $6,000 secured bond set by Magistrate Donald Sadler.