Picayune Police make drug arrest on Memorial Blvd after traffic stop

While on patrol shortly after midnight on October 5th, a Picayune Police officer observed a black 2012 Dodge Avenger traveling east on Memorial Blvd at a high rate of speed. The officer was able to catch up with the vehicle around Taco Bell and observed the vehicle was swerving heavily from the right lane across the center lane. The officer was finally able to conduct a traffic stop near Waffle House, according to Assistant Police Chief Jeremy Magri.

The officer was able to identify the driver as Hali Lyn Thomas, age 31, of 107 Stratford Drive, Slidell, LA. The officer asked Thomas to step out of the vehicle and he noticed that she was acting extremely nervous. He then asked her to step to the rear of the vehicle and asked Thomas for permission to search the vehicle and she granted his request.

While searching the vehicle, the officer found a clear plastic bag containing a tan powdery substance believed to be heroin and two plastic bags containing a tan powdery residue, also believed to be heroin, in the suspect’s purse. The bags were concealed in a makeup compact. Upon a further search of the purse, Magri said that the officer found a metal spoon with burnt marks that was wrapped in a paper towel and the officer also found two syringes.

The officer placed Thomas under arrest for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Paraphernalia. She was also written a citation for speeding and careless driving. She was transported to the Criminal Justice Center and booked on the said charges.