The Picayune Police Department seized over $15,000 of cash and narcotics after a brief chase involving two suspects last week.
Picayune Police Department undercover narcotics detectives attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Asborn Road near South Beech Street after witnessing a gold Nissan Maxima leave the roadway several times at 2:01 p.m. May 9, a departmental release states. The officers also noticed the occupants were not wearing seatbelts.
Instead of stopping, the driver crossed Brookdale Drive before heading north on Fern Drive and pulling into a residence at the corner of Fern Drive and Brookdale Drive, the release states.
As the vehicle came to a stop, the suspects exited the vehicle and fled on foot in opposite directions, according to the release.
Detectives were able to quickly detain the suspects in the yard until patrol officers arrived on scene, the release states. The suspects resisted arrest, causing the officers to force them into the patrol car, the release states.
The driver was later identified as Christopher Deontra Lewis-Nixon, 23, of 890 Herring Drive, and the passenger was identified as Kenneth Terrell Stevens, 23, of 325 North Monroe Ave.
Detectives conducted a search of the vehicle, locating two large bags containing two pounds of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana, a two liter bottle and a 20 ounce bottle both containing a red liquid on the rear floor board, the release states. A field test of the liquid tested positive for codeine. Neither suspect claimed ownership of the substances, according to the release. It was also learned Nixon had no valid proof of insurance and the vehicle was not registered, according to the release.
Nixon was arrested for trafficking a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle, failure to stop when officer signals, failure to register vehicle, resisting arrest by fleeing, disorderly conduct failure to comply and two counts of no seatbelt. Stevens was arrested for trafficking a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle, disorderly conduct failure to comply and resisting arrest by fleeing, the release states. The vehicle and $300 in cash were seized. The marijuana was identified as a high-grade with a street value of about $8,000. The codeine was valued at $5,520, the release states.