SUPERIOR COURT
A vehicle suspiciously and perhaps unfortunately parked in front of a Jones County sheriff’s deputy’s residence resulted in a seven-year prison sentence.
Faith Keri Casstevens was in Superior Court Aug. 18 to enter a guilty plea to charges of possession of schedule I controlled substances and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. She received 15 years each for each of the possession with intent to distribute charges and 12 months for a marijuana charge. The counts were ordered to run concurrently for a total of 15 years with the first seven years to be served in confinement. The remainder of the sentence is to be served on probation.
Casstevens was represented in the court proceeding by public defender Tom O’Donnell. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Macelyn Williams, and the plea was accepted by Superior Court Judge Stephen Bradley.
At the conclusion of the plea, O’Donnell noted that the sentence might seem high, but it was because of the defendant’s criminal history. Casstevens was arrested Dec. 19, 2021, and charged with heroin trafficking. She was indicted on the charge of trafficking in illegal drugs by a grand jury in February but was reindicted on the lesser-included charges of possession with intent to distribute following drug test results.
A report of the arrest by Gray Police Department Lt. Jacob Hunnicutt states that a deputy with the Jones County Sheriff’s Office noticed a vehicle that was suspiciously parked in front of his house. The vehicle was in the city, and GPD was called to the scene.
Hunnicutt stated that, even before he got out of his car, he could smell the overwhelming odor of burnt marijuana coming from the parked vehicle. The officer said he asked the driver, identified as Casstevens, about the odor, and she admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day.
The lieutenant said he asked the passenger to get out, and a JCSO deputy assisted in the search of the vehicle. Hunnicutt said marijuana was found in a cigarette pack, and three clear baggies were located, one containing a white powdery substance, one with a brownish color substance and a the third with a crystal substance.
The report states that Casstevens was taken into custody and transported to the Jones County Law Enforcement Center. The seized drugs were weighed and warrants obtained for the charges.
