Seatbelt violation leads to guilty pleas on meth charges

A couple who didn’t wear their seatbelts will get more than a ticket as they have been sentenced to serve jail time ‘ but not for ignoring one of the state’s traffic safety laws.

The couple, Bobby R. Stoner Jr., and Tonya R. Stoner, both entered guilty pleas before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley to the charge of possession of meth for purposes of resale.

The sentence for Mr. Stoner was the most severe as he was directed to serve 360 days of a six-year sentence and pay a $3,000 drug fine. Mrs. Stoner was directed to serve one-third the time of her counterpart, sentenced to serve 120 days of a four-year sentence and pay a $2,000 fine.

They were arrested in 2005 under what was then the state’s new law which allows officers to stop vehicles if they suspect the occupants are not wearing seatbelts. Highway Patrolman Donnie Clark pulled them over after he noticed Mr. Stoner was not wearing a seatbelt.

Clark said Mrs. Stoner appeared nervous during the traffic stop prompting the trooper to request permission to search the vehicle. It was during the search Clark reported finding several bags of white powder in her purse and inside the pickup.

More items associated with the production of meth were found during a subsequent search of the couple’s home. However, the initiation of meth production charges were dismissed in light of the couple’s pleas to the drug possession charges.

‘ In an unrelated drug sentence, also handed down Wednesday by Judge Stanley, Keisha Pleasant was ordered to serve 60 days of a one-year sentence and pay $2,000 plus costs for possession with intent to sell marijuana.