By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
CHESTER, Vt. — A traffic stop led to the arrest of a woman who was not only allegedly illegally sheltering a runaway from state custody but also holding a felony amount of crack cocaine and 242 milligrams of Buprenorphine in her purse.
Marlisha Turner, 33, of Proctor, Vermont, was arrested by Chester Police on Feb. 28.
According to a probable cause affidavit, at 6:38 p.m. a Chester Police officer was traveling north on Route 103 South and saw a vehicle traveling towards him with an extremely loud exhaust. The officer activated his emergency lights and turned around to stop the vehicle, but another officer had already done so.
Turner’s DMV records showed that she had a suspended license, and she was taken from the vehicle and put in handcuffs. A male juvenile in the car was identified by Turner as her son “Quentin,” who was visibly nervous and breathing heavily, according to the affidavit. He was wearing a “balaclava style mask” which made officers suspicious, as well, and he was placed in a cruiser to be taken to the Chester Police Department to wait for an adult to pick him up. She asked that “Quentin” remove her purse from the car, but police put it in the trunk of the cruiser.
Turner was known by law enforcement for her alleged involvement in drug use, trafficking and sales. Police saw two Q-tips in the center cupholder of the car, and the officer knew from his experience and training that intravenous drug users will often tear cotton tips off to use them as a filtration implement for drug use.
The officer advised Turner that he was concerned there was drug activity in the car, and she allegedly told him that she was a crack user and that there was only paraphernalia in the car. The officer told her he was going to ask for consent to search the car, and that she did not have to allow it, but he would apply for a warrant. She consented to a search of the vehicle, which was recorded on his body worn camera.
During the search, officers found a digital sale and a large amount of sandwich baggies. Also found was a measuring cup and a tea bag holder with a white powdery substance on them. A substance field tested positive for cocaine, and Turner was taken to the Chester Police Department for processing.
A man then arrived at the police station and said he was there to pick up Turner and their son, Trevor. After some questioning, Turner then told “Quentin” to just use his real name, and it was determined that he was a runaway from DCF custody. Turner allegedly admitted that she knew he was a runaway and she took him in a week prior and had been in contact with DCF about gaining custody.
Turner denied consent of her purse, saying there were probably drugs in it but did not know what or how much. Possession of controlled substances without a valid prescription was part of conditions of release that she had.
Judge Heather Gray was contacted and new conditions were set, and she was taken to the Southern State Correctional Facility in lieu of $2,500 bail. However, officers were informed that Turner was discovered to have brought crack cocaine into the secured correctional facility concealed on her person.
On March 2, the Chester Police Department executed a search warrant of the seized purse and found about 10.88 grams of crack cocaine and 242 milligrams of Buprenorphine.
Buprenorphine is a prescribed medication used to treat opioid disorder and is a Schedule III controlled drug. The drug was in the form of multiple Suboxone strips of different dosage and were in a bag that appeared to be what was left of a prescription label on it, the affidavit stated. The name of the patient had been removed, and the dosage was not the same as the amount recovered.
The charges of possession of crack cocaine, a felony, and possession of Buprenorphine were added to Turner’s original case.
Turner was arraigned on March 3 in Windsor County Superior Court – Criminal Division.
