Mistaken phone call ends with drug arrest
Tuesday, August 27, 2013 11:41 am A Cannon County man was arrested on multiple charges after he allegedly attempted to make a drug deal with a guy he had called over the telephone. The "guy" in question was Sheriff Patrick Ray of DeKalb County. Investigator Brandon Gullett handled the case. "I was advised by Sheriff Darrell Young that on the above listed date (Aug. 15) Sheriff Patrick Ray had received a telephone call from a male subject stating that he was James Clayton Lloyd of Cannon County. James Clayton Lloyd had asked Sheriff Patrick Ray if he had any Xanex pills that he would be willing to trade for some Oxycodone pills," Gullett said. Lloyd had been told the man he was calling was "Lenny," a guy who had access to Xanex pills. He had no idea "Lenny" was actually Sheriff Ray. The transaction was set up at a market near Woodbury. "I was advised that all the phone conversations had been recorded. I was also advised that the transaction was to take place at 8 p.m.," Gullett said. Sheriff Ray and Detective Jeremy Taylor of DeKalb County arrived in Woodbury and met with local officers. A plan was devised with Taylor playing the role of "Lenny." Gullett and Deputy Jordan McGee drove to the market and parked. Taylor pulled up at a gas pump at the market at 7:50 p.m. and waited. A call soon followed and the suspect told Taylor he was on his way. A white Toyota SR5 soon arrived driven by a man matching Lloyd's description. After identifying himself, Lloyd climbed into the passenger seat of Detective Taylor's undercover vehicle. Taylor then completed the deal and said the "code word." Gullett and McGee then took Lloyd into custody for sale of a Schedule II controlled substance. Lloyd was searched and two pill bottles were discovered along with $213 in cash. He was then transported to the Cannon County Jail for questioning. Lloyd said on Aug. 15 he attempted to purchase Xanex from an individual via text messaging. That individual texted him back and gave him the phone number of an individual named "Lenny." "James Clayton Lloyd then stated that he did indeed contact the number several times and spoke to a male subject who he though was 'Lenny' who was in fact Sheriff Patrick Ray," Gullett said. In addition to the $213 in cash, officers seized Lloyd's iPhone and the 2002 Toyota SR5. A hearing in the case is set for Sept. 24 in General Sessions Court. A day and a night of drinking led to his arrest on DUI charges by the Woodbury Police Department. But he didn't remember stealing the mailbox of a Pedigap Road resident. The mailbox's owner called the Cannon County Sheriff's Department and reported that he believed Barnes had swiped it. Investigator Anthony Young went to the Woodbury Police Department where Barnes' car had been towed. There, in the back seat, he spotted a green mailbox with white numbers. "He (Barnes) stated that he did not remember taking a mailbox on Pedigap Road. He stated that he did remember being on Pedigap Road the night he was arrested for DUI. He stated that he had been drinking Kessler from 10 a.m. that morning till the time he was arrested," Young reported.
|