A Carter County man on his way to court over a traffic ticket found himself facing more serious charges Tuesday morning after he crashed his car into a utility pole. Police investigating the crash said they found drugs and weapons inside the man’s car.
Officers of the Elizabethton Police Department arrested James Carpenter, 42, of 1137 Blue Springs Road, Elizabethton, shortly after 9 a.m. and charged him with two counts of possession of Schedule II drugs for resale, one count of simple possession of Schedule II drugs, possession of Schedule VI drugs for resale, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a handgun during the commission of a felony, three counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, violation of the drug-free school zone law, violation of financial responsibility and failure to exercise due care.

Carpenter told officers he was on his way to court at the Carter County Justice Center when his silver Hyundai veered off the right side of the road, traveled over the curb onto the sidewalk and struck a utility pole in front of 116 S. Main Street, less than a block away from his destination. Carpenter was not injured in the accident.
It is unknown what caused Carpenter to crash, EPD Sgt. Curtis Bullock said. “He must have been distracted in some way because he was not driving under the influence of anything,” he said.
When a witness to the crash called 911, they told to dispatchers that Carpenter got out of his car and began moving items from the car’s interior to the trunk.
After arriving on scene, officers spoke with Carpenter and then began searching the car, including the items in the trunk. During the search, officers found a .25 caliber handgun, three plastic baggies of methamphetamine, a bag of marijuana, 20 Oxycodone pills, one Morphine pill, nearly $1,000 in cash, several items of drug paraphernalia and other weapons.

In addition to the Elizabethton Police Department, an officer of the Carter County Sheriff’s Department and firefighters from the Elizabethton Fire Department also responded to the crash. Once officers discovered the drugs, the police department’s liaison officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s local drug task force was also called to the scene.
Due to his arrest, Carpenter was not able to make it to his scheduled court date, where he was to have appeared in General Sessions Court on charges of speeding and failure to provide proof of insurance. A court date on the new charges has not been set at this time, but Carpenter is expected to appear in court for arraignment this week.