Sheriff Jody Dotson with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of Ralph Kenneth Lewis of Smithville for Possession of Meth (Ice), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana and Endangering the Welfare of a Minor.
The arrest came after deputies were contacted by an Arkansas Crimes Against Children representative stating that they had information of a possible meth lab at a residence on Lawrence 310 near Lynn, they also stated a minor child was staying at the residence.
Lawrence County Deputies arrived and spoke with Ralph Lewis, his minor child and another person living at the residence. Once on scene, Mr. Lewis became angry with the deputy when asked about the smell of marijuana in the residence. The deputy and a representative of Arkansas Crimes Against Children ask to inspect the home for the safety of the child, Mr. Lewis refused and stated the home belonged to the other male involved. As the discussion continued, Mr. Lewis again became agitated and raised his voice to the deputy, he was asked to calm down on several occasions during the interview. The other subject at the residence stated he had no problem with deputies looking around the house.
Before deputies could search the remainder of the home, Mr. Lewis became enraged once again, he was taken into custody for safety reasons. Once in custody he was ask if he was under the influence of any drugs, he admitted that he was on Meth. Deputies read Mr. Lewis his rights and then Mr. Lewis told deputies that there were drugs in his room in a black box on the night stand. Deputies entered the room which had a strong smell of Marijuana and found the box which contained several syringes and .9 grams of Meth as well as a marijuana roach and drug paraphernalia. Also in the room were scales which the suspect stated he used to weigh his meth, so he would not be “Cheated when he bought dopeâ€. Mr. Lewis went on to admit to the officers that he indeed had a drug problem and needed help. The evidence was recovered by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. The minor child was taken into custody by DHS according to Sheriff Jody Dotson.
Mr. Lewis was arrested and transported to the Lawrence County Jail to await a Bond Hearing. For more information on the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, visit their site at www.lawrencecountysheriffsoffice.com .
