Traffic stop leads to spring break drug arrest

A routine traffic stop for speeding on U.S. Hwy. 331 in Paxton led to a drug arrest by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. On Friday night, March 5, a vehicle driven by Charles Fleming III of Tuscaloosa, Ala., was stopped for speeding. There were also two passengers in the vehicle.

During the stop, Fleming said he did not have a problem with the Sheriff’s Office K-9 performing a vehicle sniff. During the sniff, the dog alerted to drugs in the vehicle. Fleming was asked again if he minded a search of the vehicle in which he said, “I don’t see what else you need to do, but yeah you can look.” The 23-year-old told the deputy that they were on spring break and were heading to his father’s beach house.

In the trunk of the vehicle, there was a bag that contained a wooden box. At this time, Fleming told the deputy, “I have oxycotin and xanax.” The contents of the box were later identified as three oxycotin pills, five xanax pills, along with an unidentified white pill.

Fleming was charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription along with a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He has been released from the Walton County Jail under a $2,500 bond.