Traffic stop turns up suspected meth, fentanyl

Published 4:27 pm Monday, May 13, 2024

The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office and Pacific County Joint Drug Task Force removed a significant amount of illegal drugs from the streets of Pacific County on May 10. The drugs were located during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 101 at milepost 1.

The suspect has been identified as Dean A. Dobson, 61.

According to court records, PCSO Deputy Rafael Macintosh stopped the vehicle and the drug task force applied for and was granted a search warrant by Judge Heidi Heywood.

“Located within the vehicle were three bags of a white, crystalline substance,” a drug task force officer stated in court records. “I have found substances similar in appearance to this substance in several previous investigations, and upon being tested by the WSP crime laboratory, those substances were found to be methamphetamine.”

Officers also located three more bags that contained suspected methamphetamine and another bag that contained approximately 100 pills that “were similar to oxycodone hydrochloride.”

“Based on my training and experience, I know that pills that appear as these do often contain fentanyl,” a drug task force officer stated.

The three largest bags were weighed and came in at around half a pound.

“Based on my training and experience, I know this amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl are greater [than] an amount expected to be for personal use and are indicative of drug sales,” a drug task force officer stated.

“The digital scale and the fact that the suspected controlled substances were packaged separately are further indicators that Dean Dobson intended to deliver these controlled substances to other individuals,” the drug task force officer added.

Dobson was arrested and booked into the Pacific County Jail for several counts of possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance. The charge is a Class B felony, with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

He appeared for a preliminary appearance in Pacific County Superior Court on May 13, and Judge Donald J. Richter set his bail at $50,000. Dobson is scheduled to be formally arraigned on May 17.

Dobson has a criminal record dating back to 1989 that includes convictions for possession of a controlled substance. His most recent conviction was in 2008.