A North Carolina man slowed down just enough to get caught with several drugs, according to a report from Bryant Police Department.
On Saturday, March 19th, at approximately 5:02 a.m, a Bryant Police Officer was travelling west on the North Frontage Road near the 123 mile marker when he observed an SUV, a 2021 Red Chevrolet Trax, on Interstate 30 westbound, going a very slow speed – between 35 and 5o mph. The officer followed and stated that he watched as the SUV entered partially into the center lane then corrected to the outside lane. The officer initiated a traffic stop at the 123 Exit near Bryant Walmart.
The officer states in the report that he made contact from the passenger side with the lone occupant, Dennis Braswell, age 48 of Hendersonville, North Carolina. Braswell stated that he was headed North Carolina from Atlanta, Georgia, however, he was driving the other direction, away from both cities. The officer asked for driver’s license and rental agreement, since the car was rented, according to Braswell.
After running info through Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC), it showed Braswell to be a Federal Probationer. The officer at this point asked again how Braswell ended up in Arkansas and this time he said he has a room in Little Rock.
The officer detected the odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle and saw a bottle of alcohol in the center console. He called for backup and officers came with a K-9. The officer asked Braswell for consent to search the vehicle, and he denied. Next he asked Braswell to exit the vehicle, and Braswell submitted to a Preliminary Breath Test (PBT) for alcohol. Braswell submitted and tested at .08 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) which is right at the legal limit for the state of Arkansas.
The officer then ran Braswell’s criminal history and it showed numerous narcotics charges out of North Carolina. Two other officers and a K-9 were now at the scene. The K-9 officer stated that the dog gave several indicators to the odor of narcotics in the vehicle. Another officer stated that he noticed the smell of burnt marijuana coming from the passenger side window of the SUV.
While the first officer conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle, the others began to take Braswell into custody. The incident report states that as the handcuffs came out, Braswell attempted to pull away and flee on foot toward his vehicle. The first officer stated was able to wrap Braswell around the waist and tackle him to the ground, where he was taken into custody without further incident.
According to the report, Braswell was searched and narcotics were found on his person. Next, in the vehicle, a large sack of suspected Ecstasy, a Schedule I narcotic, was found in a Crown Royal bag inside a backpack. Then a container with two large baggies of white crystal substance suspected to be methamphetamine. Then a purple zip case produced a jar of suspected marijuana and a plastic container with a fine white powder suspected to be cocaine, along with a straw with a white powder substance inside. There was also a glasses case in the glove compartment that contained a small baggie of white powder. A marijuana cigarette was also found in the glove compartment. The report states numerous baggies of pills were located also.
After the search was concluded, Braswell was transported to the Saline County Detention Center and the SUV was towed. The first officer transported the evidence to the Bryant Police Department.
While at the jail, Braswell was found to have concealed suspected marijuana and cocaine that were located by Jail Staff. The items were brought back to the Bryant Police Department and added to the other evidence for processing. All narcotics were weighed, photographed, and logged into evidence to be transported to the Arkansas State Crime Lab (ASCL) for processing.
Braswell was charged with the following:
Possession with Purpose to Deliver Meth Cocaine => 10g < 200g,
Possession with Purpose to Deliver Controlled Substance Sched I,II Excluding Meth Cocaine => 28g < 200g,
Possession Controlled Substance Sched I,II Meth Cocaine => 10g < 200g,
Possession with Purpose to Deliver Controlled Substance Sched VI <= 14g,
Possession Drug Paraphernalia Meth Cocaine,
Resisting Arrest,
Fleeing – On Foot,
Open Container Containing Alcohol in Motor Vehicle,
Improper Lane Change/Usage, And
Furnishing, Possessing, Or Using Prohibited Articles.
