Isabella man indicted on charges of stealing truck, heroin possession
An Ozark County grand jury has indicted Michael Jones, 41, of Isabella, on a class B felony of stealing a motor vehicle and a class D felony of possession of heroin.
He was arrested Jan. 3 and arraigned and released from custody the next day on his own recognizance with supervision by Court Probationary Services (CPS). Six days later, CPS filed a non-compliance report and Circuit Judge Craig Carter issued a warrant for his re-arrest after finding that Jones’ violated the terms of his bond release. He is scheduled to appear today for a plea hearing or trial setting.
According to the probable cause statement prepared by OCSD Deputy Matt Rhoades, at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 14, 2022, while traveling down Highway 160, the officer met a blue 2000 Dodge pickup truck that matched the description of one reported stolen. Rhoades turned around and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle.
The truck was the subject of an Oct. 8, 2022, dispatch call in which the reporting party told the officer that it had been stolen and that Jones had it in his possession. Rhoades reportedly contacted Jones after that call and told him that if the truck wasn’t returned, he would have to report it as a stolen vehicle
“I recognized the driver as the suspect of the vehicle theft, Michael Jones... I searched Jones... and located a used hypodermic needle in his left pants pocket. There was a small amount of brownish looking liquid in the syringe, which I believe, based on my training and experience, to be heroin. I conducted an inventory of the vehicle prior to towing and located a black rolled film canister in the center compartment of the vehicle. The container smelled of marijuana and there was a white crystal-like substance coating the inside which I recognized from my training and experience as methamphetamine. The container field tested positive for meth. I towed the vehicle and listed it as recovered. I arrested Jones and transported him to the Ozark County Sheriff’s jail,” Rhoades wrote in his report.