More details released as sheriff’s office focus on drug trade snares local residents
Published 12:28 am Tuesday, March 14, 2023
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office released this photo of drugs seized during various police actions last week.
Shawn Manning
Scott Brust
Mary Jones
Keyan Boykin
Jerry Mabrey
Jennifer Bridges
Dustin Burnham
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Illegal drug trafficking is of great concern to law enforcement in Southeast Texas.
“The drug of choice comes in waves,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Capt. Crystal Holmes said in relation to recent drug busts that netted large amounts of methamphetamines and led to a number of arrests.
“The amount of meth that we are seeing has increased tremendously. The drug business also brings with it crimes against citizens such as theft, burglary, auto burglary, robbery and weapons offenses.”
That increase in drugs seized was noted last week when the Sheriff’s Office announced the recovery of large amounts of meth and the arrest of seven individuals.
One of the traffic stops included the recovery of a gram of suspected meth, a pistol and assorted drug paraphernalia. Dustin Burnham, 32, of Beaumont was arrested on the drug charge.
He was charged with possession of a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying a weapon. He also had a warrant for a jail felony theft. He remains in the Jefferson County Correctional Faculty on $14,500 in bonds.
A different traffic stop led to the recovery of three ounces of suspected meth, 26 grams of various prescription pills and a small amount of marijuana.
Mary Jones, 21, of Fannett and Keyan Boykin, 25, (no address given), were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance.
According to information from the JCSO’s Office, Jones was stopped again days later and reportedly found in possession of ¾ of a pound of meth (nearly 333 grams) and was arrested again for possession of a controlled sentence.
While deputies were in the area of Texas 124 and Highway 365 in Fannett, they stopped a vehicle being driven by 44-year-old Jerry Mabrey of Port Arthur. When he was asked to exit his vehicle, Mabrey resisted and allegedly locked his arms through the steering wheel.
Once additional deputies arrived, Mabrey decided to exit on his own. Deputies located three bags of suspected meth in Mabrey’s pocket. A search of the vehicle yielded a syringe of suspected liquid meth, along with two small bags of suspected meth.
Mabrey and his passenger, 47-year-old Jennifer Bridges of Nederland, were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Mabrey is charged with possession of a controlled substance with bond at $10,000 and was released on March 3 because his accusation was up. He also had a charge of resisting search/arrest with $3,000 bond but the accusation was also up on this case so he was released.
Bridges was charged with possession of a controlled substance with bond at $3,500. She bonded out on March 2.
More drug arrests
Deputies were alerted to a suspicious truck that had been parked outside a store in Hamshire in which a K-9 had a positive alert on the vehicle. That resulted in the seizure of one ounce of meth, an assortment of unidentifiable pills and drug paraphernalia, police said.
Shawn Manning, 53, and Scott Brust, 59, both of Port Arthur, were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Bond for Manning was set at $7,500, but he was released on March 2 when his accusation was up.
Bond for Brust was set at $10,000, and he was released March 2.
“It is important for local law enforcement to stay engaged with our community as they help be our eyes and ears when they witness these crimes,” Holmes said. “We will continue to listen to our community’s concerns and we encourage them if you see something, say something.”
Those with information about a crime can call Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas at 409-833-TIPS or by downloading the P3 Tips app on a smart phone. Tips are anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward.
