Five people, most in their 20’s, charged with involvement in trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine either entered not guilty pleas or had not guilty pleas entered for them by attorneys during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division Monday (November 17).
DOMINOES BEGAN TO FALL
What started the dominoes falling and eventually involved all five people in a significant drug case was a domestic disturbance involving a firearm. The situation went from domestic to drugs when officers responding to the incident on October 29 reported seeing methamphetamine in plain sight at the residence, obtained a search warrant and discovered almost 11 pounds of the drug inside a vehicle parked on the property located along U.S. Highway 62 East.
A couple, identified as 35-year-old Wesley Grant Bray, and his wife, 24-year-old Hannah Bray AKA Hannah Smolek, were initially taken into custody in connection with events related to the domestic disturbance and were later charged with drug related crimes.
She is charged with trafficking a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and a probation violation. He is charged with meth possession, being a felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault on a family or household member, endangering the welfare of a minor, first degree criminal mischief, interfering with emergency communications, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and violating his parole.
The deputies reported contacting Hannah Bray about the domestic disturbance about 5:30 a.m. at a retail establishment where she had gone to meet with them.
She reported that Wesley Bray was her husband and that he had discharged a weapon inside the residence shooting a hole in the wall and then drove away “in an intoxicated condition.”
The woman said Bray had gained control of her handgun and that he had pointed it in her direction and that of the couple’s infant son.
Wesley Bray was alleged to have been making “paranoid, irrational statements about someone coming to kill him.”
As they were investigating the incident, deputies reported finding a bullet hole in a bedroom wall.
They also reported seeing what they suspected to be a quantity of methamphetamine.
A search warrant was obtained and the substance the deputies had seen was confirmed to be methamphetamine. A small amount of cash was also seized along with two vehicles.
As deputies were enroute to meet the victim as a result of the first 911 call, a second call came in about a man who was said to be jumping into the traffic lanes of a county road in the same general area as the residence where the altercation had been reported.
The man, later identified as Wesley Bray, was alleged to have also been throwing rocks at vehicles.
He claimed to have been involved in an accident in his 2008 Chevrolet Equinox. The vehicle was found at a spot along County Road 419 where it had crashed through a fence and then come to rest in a clump of shrubbery.
Court records show Wesley Bray has been charged with various crimes in Baxter, Greene, Izard and Stone Counties, including false imprisonment, residential burglary, theft of property and drug possession.
Several females have also filed for orders of protection to keep Bray away from them or family members or both.
In one Izard County case, Bray was sentenced to 20 years in state prison on drug-related charges.
He was reported to be on parole when the most recent incident took place and his arrest led to the parole being revoked.
Bray is an inmate in the Baxter County Detention Center with bond set at $250,000.
Hannah Bray was arrested based on evidence gathered as the result of the search warrant served on the property where the Bray couple lived.
She is jailed with bond set at $150,000.
A third person, 22-year-old Cameron Mitch Baker, Jr., of Calico Rock was arrested November 1 in connection with the methamphetamine found in the car parked at the residence on U.S. Highway 62 East, the site of the original domestic disturbance. Baker was reported to be listed as the registered renter of the property and was said to have allowed Wesley and Hannah Bray to stay there.
Baker is facing trafficking charges as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. He was free on $150,000 bond but that bond was revoked after he was arrested by Izard County authorities on a probation violation. He is an inmate in the Izard County jail. Baxter County has a hold on him as well.
Hannah Bray told investigators that the methamphetamine found in the 2018 Dodge Challenger registered to Baker was part of a 15- pound shipment of the drug and that it belonged to Baker.
Baker is being represented by Gray Dellinger and Emily Reed. They attorneys entered a waiver of arraignment and a plea of not guilty on behalf of Baker.
Another person, 20-year-old Kadence Marie Martin of Mountain Home, is also charged with trafficking a controlled substance, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Court records show she is the person who put up the more than $15,000 in cash required when Baker’s bond was initially posted. According to the probable cause affidavit, Baker was staying in Martin’s apartment after his bond had been posted in the methamphetamine bust.
When officers arrived at the apartment to serve a search warrant, Martin was reported to have answered the door and Baker was found asleep in a bedroom. He was taken into custody.
A safe was found in the apartment and officers brought MHPD’s new K9 drug dog Ace to the scene and he alerted on the safe indicating the presence of narcotics.
A search warrant was obtained for the safe and when it was opened, 1.5 pounds of suspected cocaine, two firearms and $11,600 in cash were found.
Martin is also being represented by Gray Dellinger and Emily Reed.
20-year-old Carson Michael Grass of Mountain Home was also arrested in connection with the drug trafficking case. Hannah Bray told officers on scene that Grass had accompanied Baker to Russellville and that they were on their way back.
She said Grass had been staying in the residence where the Bray’s lived “for the last couple of days.” His 2016 Ford Fusion was parked at the residence along U.S. Highway 62 East.
Grass’ family retained Mountain Home attorney Jeremy Friend to represent him.
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