Three Charged With Trafficking After Drugs Found During Stop
March 19, 2020
Image showing mug shots of the three men arrested on drug trafficking charges.
Isaac Estes-Jones
Three Cape Fair men were allegedly found with a large amount of drugs in their vehicle and face drug trafficking charges. The arrests took place Saturday, March 14, after the vehicle the men were driving failed to stop for a Stone County deputy en route to another incident. A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered over $8,000 worth of meth, plus other drugs.
According to an affidavit of probable cause and press release from the Stone County Sheriff’s Office, James Allaway, 59, Toby Stapleton, 38, and Earl Hall, 63, were in a truck in Reeds Spring when the incident occurred late Saturday night, March 14. It is unclear at this time which suspect was driving the vehicle.
Deputy Owens was reportedly driving to assist Reeds Spring Police Department with an unrelated case. The deputy’s patrol vehicle had emergency equipment activated. After turning onto Highway 248, a pickup truck failed to pull over and reportedly began to accelerate.
After a short pursuit, the truck allegedly pulled into a driveway on East Highway 248. Deputy Owens made contact with Allaway, Stapleton and Hall, who were all allegedly in the vehicle, and separated the three men. It is not clear at this time which individual was driving the truck.
According to the press release, “During [this] contact, the occupants [of the vehicle] were separated and their stories of what they were doing did not match.” The driver allegedly claimed not to know the officer was attempting to stop the vehicle. The other men allegedly gave conflicting responses as to their plans that night and where they were going.
Due to the conflicting stories and the vehicle fleeing, a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted, during which a large amount of methamphetamine and other drugs were reportedly uncovered.
Officers allegedly found a container with a large plastic baggie full of a white substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine. Additionally, another three smaller baggies of a white crystalline substance, six containers of marijuana wax, along with glass pipes and a syringe were all allegedly inside the cab of the truck.
The large baggie of suspected meth was weighed at the Stone County Sheriff’s Office. It weighed over 100 grams. According to the press release, this much methamphetamine has a street value of between $8,000 and $10,000.
All three men were booked into the Stone County Jail. They are charged with the class B felony of trafficking in drugs in the second degree. Bond for all three men was set at $50,000 each. At the time of publication, James Allaway and Toby Stapleton remain incarcerated. Earl Hall was released to a bondman, according to the press release. Their next appearance before Stone County Court is not known at the time of this writing.
Three Cape Fair men were allegedly found with a large amount of drugs in their vehicle and face drug trafficking charges. The arrests took place Saturday, March 14, after the vehicle the men were driving failed to stop for a Stone County deputy en route to another incident. A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered over $8,000 worth of meth, plus other drugs.
According to an affidavit of probable cause and press release from the Stone County Sheriff’s Office, James Allaway, 59, Toby Stapleton, 38, and Earl Hall, 63, were in a truck in Reeds Spring when the incident occurred late Saturday night, March 14. It is unclear at this time which suspect was driving the vehicle.
Deputy Owens was reportedly driving to assist Reeds Spring Police Department with an unrelated case. The deputy’s patrol vehicle had emergency equipment activated. After turning onto Highway 248, a pickup truck failed to pull over and reportedly began to accelerate.
After a short pursuit, the truck allegedly pulled into a driveway on East Highway 248. Deputy Owens made contact with Allaway, Stapleton and Hall, who were all allegedly in the vehicle, and separated the three men. It is not clear at this time which individual was driving the truck.
According to the press release, “During [this] contact, the occupants [of the vehicle] were separated and their stories of what they were doing did not match.” The driver allegedly claimed not to know the officer was attempting to stop the vehicle. The other men allegedly gave conflicting responses as to their plans that night and where they were going.
Due to the conflicting stories and the vehicle fleeing, a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted, during which a large amount of methamphetamine and other drugs were reportedly uncovered.
Officers allegedly found a container with a large plastic baggie full of a white substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine. Additionally, another three smaller baggies of a white crystalline substance, six containers of marijuana wax, along with glass pipes and a syringe were all allegedly inside the cab of the truck.
The large baggie of suspected meth was weighed at the Stone County Sheriff’s Office. It weighed over 100 grams. According to the press release, this much methamphetamine has a street value of between $8,000 and $10,000.
All three men were booked into the Stone County Jail. They are charged with the class B felony of trafficking in drugs in the second degree. Bond for all three men was set at $50,000 each. At the time of publication, James Allaway and Toby Stapleton remain incarcerated. Earl Hall was released to a bondman, according to the press release. Their next appearance before Stone County Court is not known at the time of this writing.