A Jonesboro woman was stopped by authorities near Triangle Lane in Southside Aug. 12 after being observed driving toward Desha left of center and over the fog line.
After the stop was finished, Independence County Narcotic Detective Zach Bailey and 16th Judicial District Drug Task Force Special Agent Blake Cruz reported in the arrest affidavit for Leah Marie Banks, 37, that “three plastic baggies containing large amounts of a ‘white crystalline substance’ had been discovered in the firewall area of the hood of a Ford F-150 truck the suspect was driving.
The affidavit noted Banks appeared to be “breathing hard, avoiding eye contact, and was visibly shaking” during the stop. After checking the suspect’s information, Bailey told Banks she had “un-extraditable” arrest warrants out of Washington state and was a parolee with a search waiver.
According to Bailey and Cruz’s report, the initial search of the suspect’s truck found $960, a black magnet box that contained white residue and plastic baggies, a container usually utilized for transporting methamphetamine, and the smell of burnt marijuana, the affidavit reported. Also found in the bed of the truck: a safe containing multiple cell phones, the affidavit said.
After hearing Banks repeatedly saying there was nothing “in the vehicle,” Cruz noted he thought that statement was “odd,” so he popped the hood of the truck and discovered two double-bagged grocery bags containing three plastic baggies with large amounts of a “white crystalline substance.” At that point, the affidavit noted Banks was placed into custody and transported to the Independence County Detention Center.
The affidavit said Cruz later weighed the evidence, which he reported was just over 12 ounces and field-tested the white substance from one of the baggies. Cruz noted in the arrest affidavit that the substance tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.
During her post-arrest interview, Banks (pictured below in her booking photo) admitted using meth “off and on,” but told Cruz she does not sell meth “now” and that she “needed her attorney.”
Banks is facing one felony count of trafficking a controlled substance — meth weighing 200 grams or more. She is also facing a habitual offender enhancement. She is currently being held at the detention center on a $150,000 bond.
Image via Independence County Sheriff’s Department
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