SUPERIOR COURT
A drug trafficking charge was dismissed in Jones County Superior Court after it was determined the substance at the base of the charge was not illegal.
Richard Harold Varner was in court Feb. 23 to enter a guilty plea for a second charge he received during his April 1, 2022, arrest. Varner was indicted June 28, 2022, on the charge of trafficking in illegal drugs and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
As the result of plea negotiations with the state, the defendant pleaded guilty to the lesser included offense of possession of methamphetamine and received a sentence of two years, with the first year served in confinement.
The remainder of the sentence is to be served on probation, and Varner will receive credit for time served from April 1, 2022.
The report of Varner’s most recent arrest by Jones County Sheriff’s Office Corp. Kasey Carr stated he was contacted in reference to a wanted male subject who would be entering Jones County. He said he was advised of Varner’s vehicle and that he had an active warrant.
The corporal was also informed of the possibility that the individual would be in possession of methamphetamine.
Carr said he was sitting stationary on New Clinton Road and noticed the car pass in front of him driven by Varner. The officer said he conducted a traffic stop, and he and Investigator Gerry Nelson approached the vehicle. Varner was asked to exit the vehicle and was taken into custody. Carr said he was placed in the rear of his patrol vehicle.
The corporal said he deployed K9 Ella for a free-air sniff of the SUV driven by the suspect, and the K9 alerted to the odor of narcotics. He said Nelson searched the SUV while he stood by with the passenger who was in the vehicle. Carr said a bag was found with three bottles of a cloudy liquid, which was confirmed with Varner to be GHB. He said the suspect was transported to the Jones County Law Enforcement Center by JCSO Sgt. John Humphries.
Carr said, when he completed the rear seat check of his patrol vehicle, he found a clear bag containing methamphetamine. The officer said he logged the bag into evidence and then pulled up his Watch Guard car camera from his encounter with Varner.
The corporal said Varner was on video working to retrieve the bag from the rear of his pants and putting it behind the seat of the car. He said he notified investigators of the information and turned the case over to them.
A check of the Georgia Department of Corrections website shows that Varner has been in incarcerated seven times beginning in 2009 on charges of burglary, entering vehicles, fleeing and eluding police and theft by receiving in addition to drugs and weapons charges in Jones and Bibb counties.
His most recent release date from the DOC was April 12, 2021.
