HAMLET — A man and woman are facing several charges after police found meth and a weapon in a stolen truck following a chase.
According to the Hamlet Police Department, Officer Kevin Viana attempted a traffic stop Feb. 5 after noticing fictitious tags on a green Chevrolet Silverado. When he attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the driver led him on a chase down Boyd Lake Road.
Inside the truck were 29-year-old Paul Casey Bailey Jr. of Battley Dairy Road and 34-year-old Kymberly Steen of Hartsville, South Carolina.
Officers say both Bailey and Steen jumped out of the truck, which was reported stolen by the Darlington County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office, and ran.
Steen was tracked down after losing a shoe; Bailey was arrested the following day by deputies with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
According the report, officers found a small amount (less than 0.2 grams) of suspected methamphetamine and three used needles, as well as a 12-gauge shotgun hidden under the back driver-side seat.
Bailey is charged with: possession of a stolen motor vehicle; possession of methamphetamine; fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle; carrying a concealed weapon; resisting a public officer; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He is also facing traffic violations for driving with a revoked license, driving left of center, having no lights on a registration plate and having a fictitious tag.
He was booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $30,000 secured bond.
Steen is likewise charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, resisting a public officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
She was jailed under a $10,000 secured bond.
Steen recorded on an affidavit of indigency that she has three dependents.
They are both scheduled to appear in court Feb. 21.
Online records show neither has any other pending charges or previous criminal convictions in the North Carolina.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Hamlet Police Department thanks the sheriff’s office and Rockingham Police Department for their assistance in the case.
