Detectives with the Benton Police Department/Saline County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit served a warrant at 3601 Bauxite Cutoff Road in Bauxite on Friday, Feb. 3 and arrested a suspect who was out on bond for multiple felony drug charges. Inside the residence of 38-year-old William Justin Butts, SIU detectives seized a pound of suspected high grade marijuana, suspected methamphetamine and pharmaceutical narcotics, various drug paraphernalia, and a 2013 Ford F-250.
Butts was taken into custody and faces the following charges:
- Possession of Marijuana with Purpose to Deliver, a class D felony;
- Possession of Methamphetamine with Purpose to Deliver, a class B felony;
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a class D felony;
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a class A misdemeanor;
- Maintaining Drug Premises, a class B felony;
- Delivery of A Controlled Substance Schedule VI, a class D felony;
- Use of A Communication Device to Facilitate a Crime, a class C felony;
- Proximity to Certain Facility Enhancement
In 2016, Butts had been implicated as being a narcotic distributor in that area which prompted detectives to initiate an investigation. On Oct. 19, 2016, detectives with the BNPD/SCSO Special Investigation Unit served a warrant at 3601 Bauxite Cutoff Road and seized a pound of suspected high grade marijuana, suspected methamphetamine and suspected pharmaceutical narcotics that were allegedly being readied for distribution. Detectives also seized firearms and various drug paraphernalia from the residence on Oct. 19.
The charges Butts is facing from the Oct. 19 arrest are:
- Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance with Purpose to Deliver, class C felony;
- Possession of Methamphetamine with Purpose to Deliver, class C felony;
- Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance with Purpose to Deliver, class B felony;
- Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance with Purpose to Deliver, class B felony;
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, class D felony;
- Possession of Firearm by Certain Person, class D felony;
- Delivery of Marijuana, class A misdemeanor;
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, class A misdemeanor;
- Simultaneous Possession of Drugs and Firearms, class Y felony
The Benton Police Department and Saline County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank citizens for reporting their concerns of such activity.
Anyone with information concerning criminal activities conducted at the residence or with the arrested, are encouraged to contact the Benton Police Department at 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Individuals also may send us anonymous information to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the text or go to www.crimereports.com to leave a tip. A crime tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on ITunes and Google Play.
Any suspects listed are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.