A motion to suppress evidence in the drug-related case of Andrew James Esposito has been filed in Baxter County Circuit Court.
Mountain Home police arrested Esposito in April when they responded to a call reporting a woman was attempting to obtain narcotics. Esposito had been released from parole only a short time before his latest arrest.
Esposito was driving the car in which the woman — identified as Crystal Sanford — was a passenger. When police arrived, they reported Sanford immediately blurted out she and Esposito were not trying to sell hydrocodone pills, even though the police officers had apparently not brought up the subject.
Esposito was reported to be “very nervous and making excited movements.” The officers saw a small pouch in Esposito’s lap. When asked what he had in the pouch, Esposito claimed he didn’t know because he had found it.
When an officer picked up the pouch, he said he immediately recognized the shape of a glass-smoking pipe used in ingesting drugs. After the discovery, Esposito was arrested. A search of the vehicle turned up a syringe in Esposito’s right pants pocket. Another syringe with about 30 cc’s of a clear liquid field testing positive for methamphetamine was found, along with a pill bottle belonging to Sanford containing a plastic bag with a white crystalline substance also field testing positive for methamphetamine.
In addition, hydrocodone and alprazolam pills, both controlled substances, were found.
In the motion to suppress evidence, Esposito’s attorney argued the seizure of the drugs and drug paraphernalia from his client violated Esposito’s constitutional rights to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.
In the motion, the defense attorney argues the police searched Esposito without a warrant, shifting the burden to the state to justify the action.
A hearing on the motion to suppress is scheduled for September 6th.
Esposito has been in court in Baxter County before. According to court records, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the late 1990s after pleading guilty to a number of charges.
He had been accused of setting a series of fires, including at a Mountain Home motel where he was staying at the time, an apartment complex and several homes. In addition, he had been charged with breaking or entering, theft of property and possession of various drugs including methamphetamine.
He was initially charged with an attempt to commit capital murder for setting fire to a home knowing the resident was in the structure. The charge was eventually dropped by the state as part of a plea agreement. As his cases went through the court system in the 1990s, he underwent a psychological evaluation. Esposito claimed he suffered brain damage when hit by a moving train about four years prior to the time of his arrest.
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