Smithville Police Charge Suspected Drug Dealer in Undercover Investigation

Smithville Police made a drug bust on Friday in the housing projects on Morgan Drive and arrested a suspected dealer.
Smithville Police Chief Randy Caplinger told WJLE that 33 year old Teresa Pauline Thomas of 436 Morgan Drive has been charged with sale and delivery of a schedule VI, II, and III controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her bond totals $45,000 and she will be in court on February 2.
Acting on numerous citizen complaints about suspected drug activity from this residence, Smithville Police conducted an undercover drug investigation, using an informant, who went to Thomas’ home on Tuesday and made the drug buy, according to police.
A search warrant was prepared and served on Thomas at the residence on Friday. According to Chief Caplinger and Detectives Matt Holmes and Brandon Donnell, police found in Thomas’ purse nineteen baggies of marijuana each weighing one gram; ten baggies of pot each weighing two grams; and one baggie containing five grams of marijuana. Also found in her purse were twenty five and a half hydrocodone pills and two and a half suboxone pills. A further search of the home turned up another thirty grams of marijuana, cut straws with residue, a pipe, multiple prescription pill bottles without their labels, two pill crushers, two marijuana cigarettes, scales, two boxes of sandwich bags apparently intended for packaging drugs, and a notebook containing the names of people who allegedly owed Thomas money for drug transactions. An undisclosed amount of cash was also seized. Because children were present in the residence at the time of Thomas’ arrest, the Department of Children Services was notified.
Thomas was taken into custody and charged in the case. Police said during the interview, Thomas allegedly admitted to police that the drugs and paraphernalia found in the home belonged to her.
In addition to Chief Caplinger and Detectives Holmes and Donnell, Captain Steven Leffew, K-9 Officer James Cornelius and Officer Matt Farmer assisted in the case.
Chief Caplinger praised his officers for their work in this and other cases. “The officers are working really hard on drugs and I urge anyone who has information on suspected drug activity in the city to call the crime tip line at 464-6046,” said Chief Caplinger