Cleaning staff at a local motel got a surprise and notified police when guests had left behind drug paraphernalia as they checked out which resulted in the arrest of the couple during a traffic stop as they left the motel.

According to Early Chief of Police David Mercer, at approximately noon on Monday, June 4th, an early police officer responded to the report of drug paraphernalia in a motel room in Early.  While the officer was in route, the guest identified as Ann Marie Sanders of Comanche had attempted to regain access to the room, possibly to retrieve the times, but was denied access because check out time had already passed, the police report states.

Officers stopped the vehicle as it left the motel and made contact with the male and female occupants and the report states that the officer could smell marijuana in the vehicle.  According to the report, the officer then searched the vehicle and found a box containing drug paraphernalia, just under 2 grams of marijuana, some pills identified as Xanax and baggies containing powder residue which was identified as methamphetamine.  Other items of drug paraphernalia and more baggies containing powder residue, which were discovered by the cleaning staff, were recovered from the room at the motel Mercer reported.

Both Ann Marie Sanders of Comanche and 20-year-old Justin Tate Briggs of Mesquite were placed under arrest. Briggs was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Grade 2 less than 1 gram; with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Grade 3 less than 28 grams; Possession of Marijuana less than 2 ounces and Driving While License Invalid.  Sanders was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Grade 2 less than 1 gram; Possession of a Dangerous Drug and Possession of Marijuana less than 2 ounces.

In other unrelated law enforcement arrests and reports released Tuesday, June 5, 2012:

Thursday, May 24

*Brownwood Police received a report of debit card abuse.  According to the report, the complainant had found transactions he did not make when looking over his bank statement.

Friday, June 1

*A Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy met with a complainant regarding problems she was having with adjoining property owners at the Sandy Beach area of Lake Brownwood.  According to the report, the complainant had been showing her property to prospective buyers and was harassed by the residents of the adjoining property who she also suspects have been driving across her property.  She believes that the neighbors had crossed her property and left metal underpinning along with a propane tank when they removed an old mobile home on their property and replaced it with a new one as well, the report states.  The property was also recently surveyed and marker posts had been moved by someone other than the complainant, according to the report.

Saturday, June 2

*11:42pm-A Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a property regarding an incident which had occurred earlier in the day at a residence on Main Blvd.  According to the report, the complainant stated that the suspect, identified as Bobby Wayne Michalski, broke the front windshield out of her pickup and then left the residence in it, driving at a high rate of speed.  Michalski later returned in the vehicle to the residence, driving with no headlights at a high rate of speed toward the deputies responding, the report states.  Michalski was identified, determined to be intoxicated and was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated according to the deputy’s report.  He did submit to a blood specimen which was taken at Brownwood Regional Medical Center.

Sunday, June 3

*6:58am-A Brown County Sheriff’s deputy made a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding on US Hwy 67W near FM 585.  According to the report, during the stop the deputy gained consent to search the vehicle and found a pill identified as hydrocodone and three bills of Tramadol for which the driver, identified as Jala Rankin, did not have a prescription to possess.  Rankin was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Grade 3 less than 28 grams.

Monday, June 4

*8:30pm-Brownwood Police were called to the 1600 block of 1st Street regarding criminal mischief.  According to the report, the complainant stated that she arrived home to find her laptop computer had been knocked off of a table and broken.  No one had been home when the laptop was damaged, the report states.

*Brownwood Police arrested 28-year-old Chad Michael Norman for Driving While License Invalid.

All arrestees are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.