Photo: Alicia Janine LewisThe bond pledged to guarantee a Cotter woman would appear in court could be forfeited, if she is not found by mid-October.
A show cause hearing was set during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
Thirty-seven-year-old Alicia Janine Lewis was initially arrested on drug charges March 4 last year. Since that arrest, 529 days had elasped at the time of Thursday’s hearing. The last failure to appear warrant was issued for Lewis Oct. 17, 2019.
Since that time, the bail bond company has reported being unsuccessful in locating her.
The company asked for more time in February and June. In all, the court has granted about 292 days in extensions.
An agent for the company appeared Thursday and again reported not being able to find Lewis but did give the court updated information on the search.
Lewis was arrested March 4, 2019, after a vehicle in which she was riding was stopped by a Baxter County deputy sheriff.
The deputy reported he made the stop, after he observed Lewis and the female driver appearing to hide something, when he pulled up behind them.
While the activity was going on inside the vehicle, it sat at a stop sign for an inordinate amount of time.
According to the probable cause affidavit, after contacting Lewis, the deputy alleged she showed signs of being under the influence of a stimulant.
He said he also saw what were described as “classic signs of long-term methamphetamine use – including sores on her skin, involuntary muscle jerking, facial twitching and an inability to remain still.”
During the traffic stop, Lewis was found to have a small black case with three smoking devices used to ingest drugs in her boot.
One of the devices tested positive for methamphetamine.
When Lewis got to the Baxter County Detention Center, her problems only got worse. She was found to have hidden a small plastic bag of a white crystalline substance field testing positive for methamphetamine in a body orifice.
In extracting the bag, it tore open spilling a majority of the contents on the floor. The substance left in the bag tested positive for methamphetamine.
Lewis was charged with three felonies – possessing methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and bringing contraband into the jail.
Lewis’ case is listed as inactive on electronic court records.
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