(Walhalla, SC)-------------------------------------A Westminster man and woman were arrested by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office on drug trafficking charges during a traffic stop Wednesday evening.
26 year old Ashley Nikol Dodson, of D Street, and 28 year old Casey Wayne Holt, of Lem Burton Road, were booked into the Oconee County Detention Center at around 11:48pm Wednesday and 3:21am Thursday respectively. Both Dodson and Holt have been charged with one count each of Trafficking in Methamphetamine and Possession of a Weapon during Commission of a Violent Crime.
At around 8:04pm Wednesday, a Deputy from the Uniform Patrol Bureau, who was on routine patrol on West-Oak Highway near Highway 11, observed a blue Ford Mustang that was displaying a tag that was registered to a Jeep Liberty. The Deputy initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle, with the traffic stop taking place on Lee Pine Drive near Highway 11.
The Deputy made contact with the driver, identified as Holt. There were two other occupants of the vehicle, a female identified as Dodson, and a male passenger. A check by the Deputy with Dispatch revealed that the vehicle was not insured nor had a registered tag.
Holt provided consent for the Deputy to search the vehicle. The search of the vehicle produced a quantity of Methamphetamine. Due to the discovery of narcotics inside of the vehicle, all three persons were searched.
Upon further investigation, a quantity of Methamphetamine was located on Holt’s person. The male passenger was released from the scene and Dodson and Holt was placed under arrest and transported to jail.
During the search of Dodson, a pistol was located on her person. Another pistol was located during the search of the vehicle.
Additional quantities of narcotics were also discovered on Dotson’s person during the booking process at the Detention Center. Also, a search of the Patrol Vehicle that Dodson was transported to jail in, which was searched before Dodson was placed inside, produced an additional quantity of Methamphetamine where Dodson was sitting inside during her transport.
The total amount of narcotics seized during the course of the investigation was approximately 42.6 grams.
At this time, Dodson and Hold remain in jail as each received a combined $30,000 surety bond.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation.