Thursday marked the fourth time a Kingsport man has been arrested on felony drug charges over the past 19 months, with the latest incident including an alleged scuffle with officers and disposal of 42 OxyContin along Interstate 26.
Records state the Kingsport Police Department received information that a vehicle trafficking drugs was heading to Kingsport from Johnson City. At 10:30 a.m. officers observed the vehicle on northbound I-26, pacing it's speed at 65 mph in a 55 mph construction zone.
A patrol officer conducted a stop and found the passenger, Johnny A. Barbour, 49, and driver, Angel L. Sutherland, 39, were the drug suspects they had received information on. The reporting officer says he noted an odor of marijuana and asked Barbour to step from the vehicle, at which time he admitted to having a bag of pot in his right front pocket.
Approximately half an ounce of marijuana was reportedly retrieved from Barbour and he was placed under arrest. As police attempted to handcuff Barbour he reportedly began to struggle, but was soon detained.
At the police department further questioning of Barbour and Sutherland allegedly revealed they were driving from a location where Barbour had bought pills from another individual. When a search of Barbour and the vehicle didn't produce the alleged drugs investigators returned to the site of Barbour's arrest, allegedly locating 42 OxyContin in a plastic bag along interstate.
Police believe the pills, which Sutherland identified to police as those that Barbour had purchased, were purposely thrown from his pockets as he resisted being handcuffed.
Barbour and Sutherland, each of 1166 Dorothy St., Kingsport, were arrested and charged with possession of schedule II and schedule VI drugs for resale. Sutherland was additionally charged with speeding, while Barbour incurred a count of resisting arrest. Police seized their vehicle and pills, saying the drugs have a street value of $1,400, were seized.
Thursday's arrest marks Barbour's fourth on felony drug charges in the past 19 months, with the others occurring during the execution of search warrants at residences he occupied.
In August of 2011 police allegedly found Barbour in possession of a pound of marijuana, while a search just four months later reportedly discovered five ounces of pot and a large quantity of prescription pills. In April of 2012 a third search warrant was executed, where police say they found crack cocaine, marijuana and pills.
The Kingsport Police Department's Vice Unit says each of those previous three cases have yet to progress through the court.