If you haven’t heard of Ravenden, Arkansas, it’s no surprise. This little town of less than a 500 (2009 figure) is North of Jonesboro on route 63. The highway was the scene of a little bit of a roll of the dice this month when police pulled over a car for a seatbelt violation. Not much of a crime there.
However, after a visit by the K-9 sniffer dog and a search, police found more than $2,000 in cash and a significant quantity of marijuana. The random element comes in when the three occupants sorted out who owned what. The driver, Edwin Washam got off with a seatbelt ticket and another citation for no proof of insurance. One passenger, Kevin Barnes got a marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia charge. The real loser was the other passenger, Michael Smithson who scored the possession with intent to deliver charge. That’s the big felony here.
In a nice display, police laid out the drugs and money. You can see them here and here.
The town police chief, who made the bust, relied on his “cop instincts” after the pull-over. He thought the suspects were “acting nervous.” It just goes to show you that even in Arkansas’s smallest towns, the law is the law. There are plenty of charges to go around – better decide ahead of time who’s going to take the hit when they roll the dice.
It should be mentioned that none of the three were from Ravenden itself. Two were Arkansas natives and the third was from Missouri. After all, if anyone was dealing weed in Ravenden, where everyone knows each other, it would be obvious, wouldn’t it?
