A Batesville-area man has been charged in Independence County Circuit Court with trafficking a controlled substance — a Class Y felony, which carries a sentence of 10-to-40 years to life in prison.
The charge against Jimmy Goodwin Mason, 53, comes from a Dec. 3, 2021 incident when Batesville Police Narcotics Investigator Dillon Sallas and Arkansas State Police Special Agent Greg Tebbetts were conducting surveillance on a known drug sales location at a residence on North Heights Avenue in Batesville.
According to court information, the officers observed a vehicle leave the location during their surveillance and travel south on North Heights. They also observed the car going 10 mph over the speed limit, running a stop sign, and making a turn without signaling in west Batesville, according to the info.
A traffic stop was initiated, and during an investigation, Mason, the driver, was found in possession of 14 individual plastic baggies of a substance believed to be methamphetamine, court documents said. Field tests on each baggie received a positive result for methamphetamine, according to Mason’s arrest affidavit.
In addition to the trafficking count, Mason is being charged as a habitual offender. His bail was set at $40,000.
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