By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. — Two men facing felony cocaine charges appeared in court on Monday, stemming from an arrest during a motor vehicle stop where more than 141 grams of cocaine and 39 suboxone packages were found by Bellows Falls Police.
According to a probable cause affidavit provided by the Vermont Superior Court – Windham Criminal Division, on Nov. 27 at 9:11 p.m., Bellows Falls Police pulled over a Nissan Rogue on Rockingham Street with a New York registration that was found to be suspended due to a lack of insurance. Police stated that the vehicle was previously parked at a nearby gas station for 10 to 15 minutes, and an occupant was seen exiting the vehicle to go to the back side of the building.
Police allege that the vehicle did not immediately pull over after the emergency lights were activated. The vehicle eventually pulled over, and police found the operator to be Vincent O. Williams, 44, of South Burlington, who was driving a vehicle owned by a passenger. He was allegedly unable to provide a license to the officer.
A passenger in the vehicle was Shalliek, S. Ivory, 41, of Brooklyn, New York, and they told police that they were heading back to Burlington from New York City. The report stated that when the officer was speaking to the occupants, he saw a small yellow Ziplock bag with purple powder in the passenger side door handle pocket. The officer asked Ivory to pass the bag to him, and he said it was candy, although the officer suspected it to be cocaine.
Ivory was asked to exit the vehicle and reportedly said, “that’s my personal use.” The officer also allegedly saw a “large stack of money” visible from his sweatshirt pocket. Ivory later admitted that the bag was his, and the .74 grams of powder was tested and came back positive for cocaine. Ivory was subsequently placed under arrest by a detective in the Windham County Sheriff’s Office.
Williams was found to have an active instate arrest warrant issued by Vermont Superior Court – Chittenden Criminal Division. The officer asked him to exit the vehicle and explained to Williams that he wished to search it, and he signed a consent form to do so. Police found a plastic bag with “white powdery/rock like substance” tucked in the front of the driver’s seatbelt buckle. A suspected crack pipe was also found under the driver’s seat.
The substance was weighed and found to be 141.8 grams, and tested positive for cocaine. Officers also found “far more cell phones than people” inside the vehicle, as well as 39 packages of suboxone in a jacket in the trunk.
Williams and Ivory were both arrested and taken to Bellows Falls Police Department to be processed. During the processing, Ivory allegedly knocked on the door of the holding cell several times and told officers that what was inside the vehicle was his.
Ivory was held on $20,000 cash/surety bail and Williams was held on $10,000 cash/surety bail. They both appeared in Vermont Superior Court – Windham Criminal Division on Dec. 2 to face charges of possession of cocaine of more than one ounce. Williams was charged with arrest on a warrant, as well.
The penalty for the cocaine charge, if convicted, is not more than 10 years in prison or fined not more than $250,000, or both.
