SURGOINSVILLE — Hawkins County deputies arrested a 78-year-old Surgoinsville man Monday morning for allegedly selling part of his morphine and hydrocodone prescriptions in a local business parking lot.
The HCSO Narcotics Unit received a tip Monday that a drug transaction was taking place in the Dollar General Store parking lot on Highway 11-W in Surgoinsville.
A witness reportedly took down the vehicle description and tag number for both vehicles involved.
Among those vehicles was a maroon Ford Explorer registered to Ray Edward Testerman, 78, 117 Ridge St., Surgoinsville.
“Narcotics officers already had an ongoing and open drug distribution case on Mr. Testerman,” Lawson said. “Narcotics officers then went to Mr. Testerman’s home and made contact with him. Mr. Testerman was found to be cooperative, and he produced his prescription morphine and hydrocodone pills which were found to contain many less pills than should have been present.”
Lawson said Testerman met with a female driving a white BMW at the Dollar General parking lot that morning, at which time he allegedly “sold a large portion of his morphine and hydrocodone prescriptions to the female in the white BMW.”
Deputies recovered an unspecified amount of cash from Testerman, and also seized the remainder of his pills.
He was charged with two counts of possession of Schedule II narcotics with intent to deliver and released on $10,000 bond.
Testerman’s vehicle was also seized by narcotics officers.
Lawson added, “The female in the white BMW has been identified and the pills, which Mr. Testerman sold, have been recovered. An arrest of the female is expected within the next few days.”