ENGLAND, Ark. – Typically, law enforcement spends hours investigating before making a big drug bust. In rare cases, officers stumble on it. That’s what happened just after midnight Thursday in England.
In the sleepy town of England, not much crime happens, but it was a man snoozing overnight that lead police to crack a case.
England PD interim chief James Paulus says his officers were patrolling the streets when they came across a truck in the parking lot of Pizza Pro.
“The driver appeared to be asleep or passed out at the wheel,” Paulus said.
When police got closer, they could sniff out crime.
“As they approached the vehicle they smelled what they believed to be an odor of marijuana,” Paulus explained.
They busted Houston Hackett of Dewitt for having 375 marijuana cigarettes, several bags of loose marijuana, edibles, guns, money and more.
“It was kind of dumb for it to be out in the open like that,” Francis Wood said.
Woods works at the Pizza Pro in town. She believes there is a much better way to get dough than sell drugs.
“I’m glad they got busted because we all have kids and it’s just scary to have people like that out on the streets.”
Even though this case may have fallen in England Police Department’s lap, Paulus says his offices aren’t sleeping on the job.
“Just because this one happened out of circumstance, doesn’t mean we’re not watching and doesn’t mean we’re not focused on what’s going on here in town.”
Hackett was arrested on a number of charges and is in the Lonoke County Detention Center.
He also had several warrants out for his arrest.