By: Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A Creek County man, who allegedly told a Stillwater police officer he had been selling methamphetamine because he lost his job, has been ordered to appear in court on Feb. 3 for a preliminary hearing on a felony drug trafficking charge carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison on conviction.
Christopher Lewis Hayes, 58, of Mannford, was accused of possessing 69.9 grams of methamphetamine, which is more than three times the amount required for a trafficking charge, court records show.
Hayes was arrested and jailed on $30,000 bail following a traffic stop regarding a defective center brake light in the 2100 block of E. Sixth Street in Stillwater at about 5 pm on Nov. 9, an affidavit alleged.
Stillwater Police Officer Chance Whiteley wrote in an affidavit, “I immediately noticed the driver was sweating profusely. It was approximately 71 degrees and breezy. I was wearing full uniform and was not sweating. There was a dog in the car that was not panting at all or showing any signs of being hot.
“I noticed that Christopher was clutching what appeared to be a plastic bag of some kind in his left hand. I asked for his license and insurance. As he dug for his documents, he continued to clutch the bag to the point that it hindered his ability to manipulate his documents, which seemed odd.
“While speaking with Christopher, I could see his pulse in his neck and I could see his heartbeat through his shirt. His hands were visibly shaking, and I could see his chest rise and fall as he took rapid shallow breaths. Christopher’s level of nervousness was extraordinary in comparison to the general motoring public with whom I have interacted on over 3500 traffic stops.”
After the officer told Hayes that he could step out of his vehicle so they could inspect his brake light, “When he exited, he placed a nylon case, that had contained his insurance, in his left hand on top of the baggy he was clutching. He also seemed hesitant to allow me to see into the vehicle, as though he was blocking something from view with his legs.
“While speaking with him, I told him he could go ahead and have a seat back in his vehicle if he wished and he did not want to do so. I continued to speak with him — telling him he would only receive a warning for the brake light, but his nervousness did not decrease.
“He turned away from me as though he were starting to reach into the vehicle and place the black nylon case into the vehicle. The case was still sitting atop the baggy. As he did so, I quickly moved around to the other side and could see the baggy more clearly as he had loosened his grip. He had a bandage on his hand so I asked ‘did you cut your finger’ and he turned and raised his hand toward me.
“About two inches of the baggy was sticking out of his grip at this point and I could clearly see small (testable) amounts of a clear, crystal-like substance inside the baggy. The substance, due to my training and experience, was consistent with methamphetamine.
“I said ‘what ya got in the bag’ as I reached for it. He opened his hand and I picked up the bag with the suspected methamphetamine residue. He said ’empty bag’ and I, as I examined the contents, said ‘no, there’s meth in there,"” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
During a search of the vehicle, the officer found a nylon case contained five bags of methamphetamine for a total of 42.1 grams and also found 27.8 more grams of methamphetamine in a black plastic container — for a total of 69.9 grams, “which is .1 gram from exactly what Christopher said the total weight would be,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
“He told me that he had been selling methamphetamine for approximately six months because he had lost his job. He wouldn’t tell me any other details about the methamphetamine other than that he had purchased three ounces a few days ago and had sold approximately one-half ounce, leaving two and one-half ounces remaining in his possession,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
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