J.D. BAILEY
Banner-News
The Magnolia Police Department has released details on multiple recent felony incidents, including charges of drug possession and the recovery of a stolen ATV.
After being reported on May 19, the department began an investigation into an ATV theft and found Jaylen Hardwell on May 29 as the suspect. The report did not indicate the age, nor hometown of Hardwell.
He was arrested May 29 and booked into the Columbia County Detention Center. His bond is $40,000.
Details on the owner and model of the ATV have not been released.
In a separate incident on Norma Street, a suspicious white SUV May 31 caught the attention of nearby residents. Police arrived and made contact with the suspect, said a police statement.
According to a report, the man inside the SUV issued a false name to officers. They were later able to identify the suspect as one Henry Dale Cooper of Magnolia. Magnolia police were also told by dispatchers that the 52-year-old had a warrant out for his arrest.
In a subsequent vehicle search of Cooper’s vehicle, officers found methamphetamine, according to police. The suspect was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and obstruction of governmental operations.
Another vehicle stop also resulted in a meth possession arrest, this time on Olive Street.
The suspect, James Earl Smith, 48, of Magnolia on May 31 was said to be “looking through a vehicle,” according to reports.
Once officers arrived at the scene, they began a search and found the described suspect and another person in a nearby laundromat. Smith was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and cocaine, according to his listed charges.
He is currently being held in the county detention center on $25,000 bond.
Nearby Peach Street on the same day saw the arrest of Nathaniel Dunham, 36, of Magnolia on charges of expired tags. He was also arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.
He, too, is incarcerated in the Columbia County Detention Center, as of Thursday. His bond is $15,000.