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Deputy traffic stop leads to large drug seizure

by Kate Shunney

A traffic stop by a Morgan County Sheriff’s deputy on Sunday night led officers to locate and seize a large amount of illegal drugs from a vehicle passing through the area.

Deputy Dennis Jenkins has charged Marreen J. Garrett, 59, of Morgantown with felony possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver the drugs. She is being held at the Eastern Regional Jail in lieu of a $50,000 cash-only bond.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Morgan County Magistrate Court, Deputy Jenkins was on routine patrol on March 15 along U.S. 522 in the area of River Road when he saw a vehicle leave the Hancock bridge at 11:45 p.m. The car was headed southbound and turned left onto River Road.

Drugs seized from traffic stop.

When the vehicle made the turn, the driver used the incorrect lane to make the turn, drove on the wrong side of River Road and was weaving, police said.

According to court records, Deputy Jenkins pulled the passenger vehicle over near the intersection of River Road and Fairview Drive. A female passenger was also in the vehicle.

During the stop, the officer reported he detected the odor of marijuana in the vehicle while Garrett was searching her purse on the floorboard for a driver’s license.

Deputy Jenkins determined that Garrett had state warrants in Florida and Ohio, and had prior drug offenses.

Sgt. Wade Shambaugh provided backup at the scene.

During a search of Garrett’s vehicle, Deputy Jenkins located 17 grams of marijuana, 29 grams of suspected crack cocaine, 10 grams of crack cocaine, two Oxycodone pills and 26 grams of suspected heroin in 100 individual packets.

Garrett told officers the drugs were hers, court records said.

Deputy Jenkins said the drugs located in her vehicle have an estimated street value of $6,000.

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