By Ray King
Five Southeast Arkansas residents who were arrested following a traffic stop by White Hall Police in the early morning hours Thursday made their first court appearance Friday in Pine Bluff District Court.
They had been booked into the jail on attempted capital murder of two White Hall Police Officers but prosecutors amended that charge to knowingly exposing another person to fentanyl, a Class Y felony punishable by 10 to 40 years or life in prison.
In addition, the five, Brittaney Billings, 35, Michael Branson, 51, Mack Faulkner, 22, Skylar Rauls, 30, and Justin Wooten, 35, will be charged with one count each of possession of a controlled substance fentanyl, one count each of possession of a controlled substance methamphetamine and one count each of possession of drug paraphernalia. Wooten will also be charged with one count of obstructing governmental operations.
Reading from an affidavit by White Hall Police Lt. Clayton Cantrell, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jill Reed said at midnight Aug. 29, a White Hall Police Officer conducted a traffic stop on a red Jeep Patriot that had an expired license tag.
Reed said officers located a bomb like device in the back seat that contained a white powdery substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl. They continued to search and found a broken smoking pipe in the glove compartment.
Reed went on to say this.
Reed said each of the five defendants have different criminal histories and she would be asking for different bonds. Before she could do that however, Billings spoke up and said she wanted all five defendants to be drug tested because they had not been exposed to fentanlyl.
Reed then commented on that request.
Rauls has a case pending in circuit court and because of that, a $25,000 cash only bond was set. Bonds of $150,000 secured were set for Branson, who is on parole in Pulaski County, Wooten, who has several prior felonies and Billings, who has a prior felony conviction. Faulkner has no prior convictions and his bond was set at $100,000.
