An East Batesville couple has been placed on $100,000 bond each after being charged in Independence County Circuit Court with 10 felony counts involving illegal drugs and five misdemeanor counts.
The couple was part of a story we brought to you last Christmas Eve when two men were found unconscious at an East Batesville residence. One man, Richard Louis Barberot from Colorado, was declared deceased at the residence and the other, Jonathan Dale Simpson, 28, still had a pulse and was rushed to the hospital where he was listed in serious condition.
Simpson’s wife, Stacie Allison Simpson, 30, called emergency personnel to the residence when she discovered both men unconscious in the basement of the house.
The court documents said once the situation appeared to be a drug overdose, an investigation ensued. Through permission from occupants of the residence and search warrants, several illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia were discovered in the residence.
Apparently, the cell phone data of the deceased man, Richard Louis Barberot, provided information that indicated drugs were being purchased, used and sold.
Since Jonathan Dale Simpson was in the hospital for an extended period of time, listed at first in critical condition, it was not until February and March that the investigation could be completed and charges filed.
Both Stacie and Jonathan Simpson are charged with 10 felony counts involving illegal drugs and five misdemeanor counts.
The court record says some of the illegal drugs include marijuana, cocaine, oxycodone, and LSD.
The Simpsons were taken into custody and placed on $100,000 bond each.
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