Traffic stop in Gleason leads to arrest, drugs seized

A traffic stop in Gleason Saturday afternoon has one man behind bars after officers found methamphetamine, fentanyl and illegal prescription drugs in the vehicle.

According to the Gleason Police Department, on March 2nd,  just after 6 p.m., Officer Sherwood conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for violations of (Display of Registration Plates) and (Signals for Turns) at the intersection of Janes Mill Road and West Union Street in Gleason. Sherwood said that he observed the license plate to not be clearly legible due to missing a license plate lamp, and as the vehicle turned onto West Union Street from Janes Mill Road, no signal of the turn was initiated by the driver.

The vehicle proceeded on Hwy. 190 heading out of town. Sherwood said in the report that he initiated my emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop on Hwy. 190 where the vehicle failed to yield initially and continued driving slowly for another approximately 45 seconds.

Sherwood said that he made contact with the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, identified as Jeffrey Bullington, of Atwood.

“I had prior knowledge of this vehicle being observed at a known narcotics usage and sale home in Gleason,” Sherwood said in the report. “Due to this, I deployed Narcotics Detection K9 “Bear” to conduct a free air sniff of the exterior of the vehicle for the presence of narcotics.

“Upon deployment, K9 “Bear” showed and extreme change of behavior at the driver side door and showed a positive alert for the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.”

The report states that Bullington advised the officer that he forgot but he did have a “joint” marijuana cigarette in the center console of the vehicle. Sherwood said he located the marijuana cigarette as well as a black metal lid that went to an unknown container that had a white, powder like residue on it.

“Upon searching the driver area of the vehicle, I located the other part to the container under the driver seat, this too contained the same unknown residual substance which later field tested positive for Methamphetamine,” Sherwood said. “As I further conducted my search in the area, I located a small, clear plastic baggy on the driver floorboard that contained a white/clear rock like substance that later field tested positive as well for Methamphetamine.

“Jeffrey [Bullington] was placed into handcuffs and under arrest for the Possession of Methamphetamine and Schedule VI. Based on the slow yielding to the emergency lights, the location of the baggy of Methamphetamine near the lidless metal container, and the lid to same being in the center console, it appeared that Jeffrey had attempted to destroy and/or conceal the baggy of Meth that was located.”

Bullington was transported to Weakley County Detention Center without incident. Once in the detention center facility, jail personnel conducting a search of his person at booking found numerous narcotics were found concealed in the suspect’s left boot.

The report states that jailers found five small, clear plastic baggies containing substance that field tested positive for both Methamphetamine and Fentanyl. Also located were three pills identified as Clonazepam (2) and Alprazolam (1) which are a Schedule IV prescription drugs.

Bullington was also found to be in possession of $371 in different denominational currency, “which is consistent with the sale of narcotics and the six individual baggies of Meth/Fentanyl and pills.”

Sherwood said that he believes that this money is presumed to be from the sale of illegal narcotics and was seized. The vehicle the suspect was driving was towed and impounded by Alpha Towing out of Martin. Bullington’s dog that was in the vehicle at the time of arrest was released to his girlfriend at his request. The narcotics will be sent to Tennessee Bureau of Investigations lab for testing.