Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Alcohol, Gambling Items Found In Friday Night Raid

A joint effort between the Prescott Police Department and Nevada County Sheriff's Office ended in a raid on a local residence.

According to Jim Westmoreland, criminal investigator for the PPD and NCSO, both departments received numerous calls concerning alleged gambling and bootlegging going on at a house on West Bryant in the city limits. Based on the amount of complaints and information developed by Nevada County Sheriff Steve Otwell, a search warrant was obtained from Municipal Judge Gene Hale.

At about 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, officers with the PPD, NCSO, Arkansas State Police and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission converged on the home of Sam Stafford.

When they entered the residence, there were some 15-20 men inside, while others were milling around outside. Once the scene was secured, Westmoreland said, officers confiscated different types of gambling paraphernalia, such as playing cards, dice and poker chips, along with a large felt covered table.

Officers also confiscated more than the legal amount of alcohol from the residence, along with $2,252 in cash.

At the time, Stafford was cited for possession over the legal limit of alcohol and the illegal sale of alcohol in a dry county, both misdemeanor charges.

However, Westmoreland said, there is the possibility felony charges will be issued as more information is gathered.

Officers with the AG&FC ticketed Stafford for possession of illegal meat as well.

OFFICER BACK

The NCSO Drug Awareness Resistence Education (DARE) officer, Thomas Goad, has returned from a two-week training session in Jefferson City, Mo.

Goad said the training session lasted from Jan. 19-30, with the 80-hour course consisting of learning modalities and teaching methods for the program. In all, the entire course of 17 DARE lessons were given during the two-week period.

He said there will be a summer DARE program offered for youngsters on a voluntary basis, with the program kicking off in earnest in the classrooms this fall.

The core programming is geared toward students in grades five and six, while visitations will be held for students in kindergarten through the fourth grade. Goad said there are also programs available for junior and senior high schools, as well as special ed students. These, however, require additional training he hopes to get in the future.

At this time, he said, the NCSO is working to obtain a vehicle for its DARE program.