Photo: Jamie Lee Southard
A Calico Rock man facing drug and weapons charges appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
Twenty-eight-year-old Jamie Lee Southard entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
His latest arrest came July 26 when Baxter County deputies were dispatched to an address along Jordan Road.
They were called to assist an agent from a bail bond company in looking for 44-year-old Chad Merriman.
Photo: Chad Merriman
Merriman was wanted on a failure to appear warrant issued in mid-January by the Izard County Circuit Court in an active drug case.
Records in Merriman’s case show he was picked up and delivered to the Izard County jail July 27.
While at the residence, a deputy was told by the bail bond company’s recovery agent that a red vehicle had been parked at the house about 10 minutes before he arrived.
While the agent and deputies tried to make contact with the person being sought, the red vehicle drove by, appearing initially to be pulling into the driveway.
After seeing the law enforcement presence, the vehicle sped away, and a deputy followed it until it came to a closed privacy gate and stopped. The deputy made contact with the occupants of the vehicle. Southard was identified as the driver.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the deputy reported smelling the “strong odor of burned marijuana” coming from Southard’s person.
Southard was found to have marijuana and a smoking pipe on his person. Methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were also found.
While he was being taken into custody, Southard told the deputies he was carrying a pistol. A fully loaded .22-caliber handgun was seized along with a set of brass knuckles.
A search of the passengers in Southard’s vehicle turned up nothing illegal.
On the way to the Baxter County jail, Southard told a deputy he had more methamphetamine hidden in his sock. Four small plastic bags were found, one of which still contained a white residue.
Because he had drugs and drug paraphernalia and a weapon with him, Southard was charged with simultaneous possession of guns and drugs, a Class Y felony. The maximum punishment for the Class Y felony is life in prison. The state moved to dismiss the Class Y felony.
He was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In addition to the drug and weapons charges, Southard initially faced counts of violating the terms and conditions of his probation handed down in previous drug-related cases. The revocation petitions were dismissed by the state.
As with many defendants coming before courts in Baxter County, Southard’s record reflects a cycle of being arrested on new charges while on probation or parole on earlier convictions.
The new charges then trigger the filing of revocation petitions by Arkansas Community Corrections officers.
Southard’s record shows revocation petitions have been filed in two cases, one filed in 2016 and the other two years later.
Southard has been an inmate in the county jail since being arrested July 26.
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