By: Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A Cushing man was arraigned Tuesday on charges of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute as well as having drug paraphernalia in a case involving 11 officers from the Cushing Police Department, the Payne County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, who served a search warrant at his house about 6 a.m. on Feb. 15.
Kevin O’Dell Pierce, 33, was released from the Payne County Jail on $15,000 bail on Feb. 20 and ordered Tuesday to return to court on March 26 with an attorney.
Pierce, who has two prior felony convictions for marijuana possession in Cushing in 2007 and 2009, for which he was placed on five years’ probation in 2010, could be incarcerated for five years to life and fined up to $100,000 if convicted of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. If convicted of misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession, Pierce could be jailed for one year and fined $1,000.
Cushing Police Officer Kurt McKean went with 10 other officers at 6:02 a.m. on Feb. 15 to Pierce’s residence in the 900 block of S. Thompson Ave. to serve a narcotics search warrant issued by the district judge, according to his affidavit.
“When we arrived to serve the warrant, MPO Sappington knocked on the door three times and announced our presence. On the third knock, Elizabeth Pool answered the door,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
“As Deputy Nack and I entered the northeast bedroom, we observed a court document displaying Elizabeth Pool’s name on the wall of the bedroom,” in which a small baggy of suspected methamphetamine and a glass pipe were found on the nightstand, the Cushing officer alleged in his affidavit.
Pool, 36, was charged with misdemeanor methamphetamine possession and arraigned from the Payne County Jail Tuesday where she was being held on $2,000 bail, court records show. Ronald Knickerbocker, 28, who allegedly was also in that northeast bedroom, was charged with misdemeanor methamphetamine possession and arraigned from the Payne Count Jail on Feb. 21 where he was being held on $2,000 bail, court records show.
An OBN agent found in the southeast bedroom a opened tin can with unused syringes, a small plastic baggy containing suspected methamphetamine, and numerous unopened baggies, the affidavit alleged. There Pierce was arrested along with Rachel Harbison, 39, who was charged with misdemeanor methamphetamine possession and released on a personal recognizance bond, court records show.
In that bedroom, a plastic vial containing pills and two small baggies with suspected methamphetamine, as well as a vial with burned hand-rolled cigars, were found in a nightstand, the affidavit alleged. A sheriff’s deputy found two cases — one having a glass pipe and syringes, and the other having a glass pipe containing burned residue in a backpack, the affidavit alleged.
A relative of Pierce in the house was “not detained because she was not considered a suspect in the case,” the affidavit alleged.
Two vehicles and a motorcycle were searched, as well as the rest of the house, but nothing was found, the affidavit said.
At the Cushing Police Department, “I asked Pierce when the last time he sold methamphetamine was, in which he stated ‘about a week ago,"” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
“Pierce advised Harbison (his girlfriend) used methamphetamine, but was not involved in any illegal drug transactions. Pierce also stated he texts and/or uses Facebook messenger when he does an illegal drug transaction,” the affidavit alleged.
The pills seized from the residence were identified as two 10 mg hydrocodone/325 mg acetaminophen, and 19 15 mg morphine sulfates, the affidavit alleged.
Pierce’s residence was located 480 feet from the Cushing Memorial Park, the affidavit said.
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