ROGERSVILLE — A convicted drug trafficker who had been on probation was charged with smuggling drugs into the Hawkins County Jail last week after allegedly stashing pills in a body cavity shortly before being arrested for a probation violation.
Larry Blane Hawkins, 51, 1208 Cooper St., Church Hill, had been on probation stemming from his Jan. 4, 2011, arrest for selling Percocet pills outside the Whistle Stop Market near Carters Valley Elementary School.
Hawkins was arrested on that probation violation Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday afternoon, Hawkins County Jail Cpl. Jesse Williams allegedly observed Hawkins inside his cell crushing a pill, later identified as hydrocodone, in a jail issue plastic spoon.
Sheriff Ronnie Lawson said a search of Hawkins and his cell revealed a total of three hydrocodone pills as well as two Xanax pills.
“Mr. Hawkins later admitted that he was at home earlier in the day on (Wednesday) Nov. 7 when he learned that sheriff’s deputies were coming to his home to arrest him on a warrant for violation of community corrections,” Lawson said. “Mr. Hawkins admitted that he had just enough time to package the above mentioned pills in electrical tape and to conceal them in his anal cavity before a sheriff’s deputy arrived at his home. Mr. Hawkins was transported to the Hawkins County Jail and had been in his cell only a matter of minutes when he decided to remove the pills from his anal cavity.
“Mr. Hawkins admitted that he was just starting to ‘crush-up’ one of the hydrocodone pills with intentions of snorting it, before being interrupted by alert Corrections Cpl. Jesse Williams.”
Hawkins was charged with introduction of Schedule III narcotics into a penal institution and introduction of Schedule IV narcotics into a penal institution.
Hawkins remains lodged in Hawkins County Jail under a “no bond” status due to being already incarcerated on the violation of community corrections charge.