Warrant and anonymous phone call lead to drug charges for Elizabethton man

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, June 3, 2015

NW0603 Drug Arrest

An arrest for an outstanding warrant and an anonymous phone call led to multiple drug charges for an Elizabethton man.

Carter County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested Jesse Lee Sparks, 33, 406 McArthur St., Monday at a home on Bob Little Road on a warrant charging him with failure to appear. After placing Sparks in custody, CCSD Lt. L.C. Tester found a prescription bottle in Sparks’ pocket containing five whole and two partial pills that were believed to be Suboxone, as well as another, unidentified pill. Also in the bottle were several phentermine pills and tablets, Tester reported.

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About 30 minutes after the original arrest was made, CCSD Deputy Myles Cook received an anonymous phone call from a person who claimed narcotics could be found inside Sparks’ car. Cook and Tester returned to the scene, where they spoke with Sparks’ mother, who owned the vehicle and gave them permission to search the car.

During the search, Cook wrote in the arrest report that he found a backpack that held five needles, a belt and a bottle containing 50 buprenorphine pills. The label on the bottle showed it had been prescribed to Sparks on May 29 for 70 pills, Cook said.

Also in the backpack was another unlabeled prescription bottle, which allegedly contained three separate plastic bags with pills believed to be clonazepam. Another unlabeled bottle held one acetaminophen/hydrocodone pill, Cook reported.

The search also uncovered a small travel bag that allegedly contained 23 grams of a green substance, believed to be marijuana, a portable electric scale and several plastic bags, Cook wrote in the report.

In addition to the warrant, Sparks was charged with possession of Schedule II drugs for resale, possession of Schedule III drugs for resale, possession of Schedule IV drugs for resale, possession of Schedule VI drugs for resale and possession of drug paraphernalia.