Photo: Rebecca Martin
Even though Rebecca Martin’s long-term involvement in the drug business has caused her to lose her home and spend time in jail, she has been arrested on the same type charges once again.
The 54-year-old Martin appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday. She entered a not guilty plea to charges of possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, attempting to bring drugs into the jail, tampering with physical evidence, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental operations.
Martin asked Circuit Judge John Putman to reduce her $75,000 bond so she could “get out of jail and seek an attorney.” The judge quickly turned the often-arrested Martin down. He said he would not reduce the present bond “for someone with your history, not any at all.”
At the time of the latest arrest Dec. 22, Martin was on probation stemming from other drug cases. She has also been accused of violating that probation.
Martin is also charged with being a habitual offender, meaning her sentence can be enhanced.
In various criminal cases set up against her since 1999, Martin has been accused of running a drug premises at her home for nearly two decades and being involved in selling substantial quantities of methamphetamine. In her various cases, there are a number of drug sales reported, some using confidential informants.
She has also spent time in the Community Correction Center in Fayetteville where she underwent addiction treatment.
In late April last year, Martin was sentenced to 20 years probation after pleading guilty to charges in three active drug-related criminal cases.
Martin’s 1,200-square-foot-home was seized by the state and eventually sold for $34,000 in July last year. According to court records, Martin was said to have used thousands of dollars in lottery winnings to pay off debt on the house the state later seized.
At the time of the sentencing, 14th Judicial District Prosecutor David Ethredge said it had been decided to recommend the two-decade probation sentence, after reviewing evidence the state could reasonably expect to present at trial. The prosecutor said those involved in the review, including Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery and investigators who had worked the cases, concluded there could be significant problems in proving many of the charges against Martin at trial because of the way evidence had been gathered.
Martin’s latest arrest resulted from an Arkansas State Police trooper performing a license check on a car at a service station on Buzzard Roost Road in late December. The license came back to Martin and information that there was an active warrant for her arrest.
When Martin exited the store to begin fueling her vehicle, the trooper asked to speak with her. She was reported to have immediately become argumentative. The trooper said he explained about the outstanding warrant.
The trooper said Martin started walking toward the driver’s side door of her vehicle, and he saw her reach into her pocket and place something down the front of her pants.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the trooper walked toward Martin and took her arm. Martin immediately pulled away.
Martin was told she needed to be honest about the item the trooper had seen her put down the front of her pants, because she did not want to go into the jail in possession of contraband, which would result in another charge.
She was said to have consistently denied having anything illegal on her person. However, when a female deputy at the jail searched her, Martin was found to have 4.3 grams of a substance field testing positive for methamphetamine.
Martin has been jailed since Dec. 22. She was ordered to reappear in circuit court Jan. 16.
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