On July 13, 2012 at about 11 pm the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and the Arkansas State Police arrested Michale John Otell (11/24/68) of Chico, CA for possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) and driving on suspended drivers license. The arrest came after the officers were conducting a sobriety checkpoint at Imboden. When officers spoke with Otell he seemed very nervous and in a hurry. Officers had the Lawrence County K9 dog Ben to check the vehicle. Lawrence County had just finished hosting a K9 handler school that evening. Ben alerted on the passengers side of the vehicle twice. Inside the vehicle officers found marijuana. Officers also found almost $40,000 in the glove box of the car. The car tag came back as a rental from Nevada and Otell showed to have a suspended drivers license. While the officers were speaking with Otell one of them noticed him trying to drop some more marijuana. The officers retrieved the rest of the marijuana and placed Otell under arrest. Otell was transported to the Lawrence County Jail to await a bond hearing. The marijuana and the nearly $40,000 was taken into evidence.
For more information on the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office visit www.lawrencecountysheriffsoffice.com .