Heroin found following traffic stop

A Neshoba County man faces felony drug charges after he was allegedly found to be in possession of heroin during a traffic stop last Wednesday, the authorities said.

The man, Austin Todd Jarriel, 13631 Highway 21 north, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance within a correctional facility. He was also charged with having an expired tag.

Jarriel’s bond has been denied and jail records show he remains in the Neshoba County Detention Center.

Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark said the charges stem from a traffic stop on Wednesday, July 5, at about noon when a deputy observed a vehicle at the intersection of Holland Avenue and Hospital Road almost cause a wreck. 

The deputy ran the tag, which had expired in December 2022, Clark said. The deputy followed the vehicle until he determined it was a safe location for a traffic stop, which was Highway 19 south at Road 537. The deputy recognized the driver as Jarriel and advised him the tag was expired on the vehicle. 

According to Clark, the deputy smelled the strong odor of marijuana and immediately noticed a clear plastic baggie with a whitish/brown colored powder in it in plain view in the cup holder of the vehicle. 

Jarriel was then asked to step out of the vehicle as the deputy took the baggie. The substance was later tested by an agent of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics with a field test kit and was identified as 4.43 grams of heroin, Clark said. 

Jarriel was arrested and $3,068 was seized along with the heroin. During the booking process at the Neshoba County jail, a small bag of a green leafy substance consistent with marijuana was found concealed in Jarriel’s underwear, according to Clark.