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CHECKPOINT YIELDS MORE THAN A DOZEN DRUG CHARGES

BRIDGETON- A weekend checkpoint set up to test sobriety caught more than drunken drivers.  Officers also found cocaine and marijuana and made at least 15 drug charges.

The Bridgeton Police Department was the host for the multi-agency sobriety checkpoint, which was held Friday night and early Saturday morning near the intersection of U.S.  17 and N.C.  55.  Numbers were still being tallied Saturday, but more than 100 citations were issued during the four-hour checkpoint.

"It was very successful," said Deputy Chief Chip Hughes.  "I don't think any of us expected that many drugs.  We made at least 15 drug charges, and four of those were felony charges."

He said officers confiscated a half-ounce of powdered cocaine, some crack rocks, and "lots of" marijuana during various stops at the checkpoint.  They seized $3,500 in cash.

"Well, Highway 17 is a known drug route, and we definitely saw that during the night," he said.

Five people were charged with driving while impaired.  "First and foremost, we're looking to remove drunk drivers from the road whenever we do these," Hughes said.  "They are one of the leading causes of accidents, so anytime we get them off the road, it means somebody else is staying safe."

Hughes said officers issued at least 45 warning tickets.  During the night, he said they saw everything from drugs to just-expired vehicle registrations.

Several other agencies participated in the checkpoint, including the N.C.  Highway Patrol, the N.C.  Alcohol Law Enforcement Division, the Jones County Sheriff's Office, and police from New Bern, Trent Woods and Oriental.  "It just reminds the public that we are out here in full force and making a good-faith effort to find the people who are doing wrong and making motorists unsafe," said Sgt.  R.G.  Willis with the State Highway Patrol.  Willis said it also gives officers a chance to educate drivers about frequently misunderstood requirements, like the state's "move over" law or the updated car-inspection process.

"It would be great to do one of these and not give out a single ticket," Hughes said.  "But we don't live in that kind of world anymore."