WOODVILLE – Two men are behind bars after deputies with the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office arrested them and discovered a large amount of methamphetamine with them.
The arrest occurred last week, on the evening of Tuesday, June 16, according to Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford. Weatherford said that the deputies who were on patrol stopped a Nissan automobile on US 190 West near the Tyler County Airport for a traffic violation.
Deputies identified the driver as Jason Wade Yandell, a 49-year-old Town Bluff man, and a passenger, 43-year-old Gregory Lucas Pena of Houston. The deputies could also smell the distinct odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
The deputies found that Yandell did not have a valid driver license, and upon speaking with both him and Pena, they developed probable cause for a search of the vehicle.
The search uncovered a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, which contained a crystalline substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. The volume of the drug that was seized from this bag was 456 grams, which is a little more than one pound of meth. The deputies were also able to find a smaller baggie that contained 15 grams of powder cocaine and a THC vaping device.
Yandell and Pena were arrested and transported to the Tyler County Jail where they were charged with felony possession of a controlled substance for the meth; felony possession of a controlled substance for the cocaine. Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Tina Self set both suspects’ bonds at a combined $300,000 apiece.
According to statute, possession of 400 grams or more of meth in the state of Texas is an enhanced first-degree felony, with punishment ranging from 10 to 99 years in prison and a $100,000 fine, if convicted.
