WINDSOR – After spending nearly six months behind bars for alleged possession of cocaine discovered during a routine traffic stop on South King Street, law enforcement officials from the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office transferred 29-year old Mark C. Carter of 1739-B Cooper Hill Road into federal custody Monday.

According to Detective Sergeant Frank Timberlake of the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit, Carter has had three previous drug convictions and has been under investigation for quite some time.

Arrested on March 1 after being stopped by Roanoke-Chowan Narcotics Task Force agent Kenny Gilliam for the routine check, Carter attempted to evade authorities by running away on foot.

&uot;When the car stopped, the suspect got out and took off running,&uot; said Timberlake explaining that during the pursuit, Gilliam had observed Carter tossing a bag on the ground.

However, the foot chase proved unsuccessful for Carter and after he was detained, with the help of Windsor Police Department Chief Rodney Hoggard, Detective Herman Purvis and First Sergeant Carlton Bond, and Bertie Sheriff’s Detective Eddie Graham and Hank Miles of Bertie County Community Corrections, Gilliam returned to the area where the bag had been discarded, recovering what he believed to be approximately 45 grams of crack cocaine and 3.8 grams of marijuana.

Carter was then subsequently charged with three felonies, including trafficking in cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine and maintaining a vehicle to keep a controlled substance along with a misdemeanor for possession of marijuana. He was placed in the Bertie County Regional jail under a $500,000 bond.

In a federal indictment before the grand jury on August 19, the jury ruled that Carter &uot;did knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully possess with the intent to distribute more than 5 grams of cocaine base (crack) and a quantity of cocaine.&uot;

An investigation on behalf of the District Attorney’s office provided additional information to support the case.

&uot;These kinds of cases please me because this guy has been a problem for us for the past 10 years,&uot; said Bertie County Sheriff Greg Atkins.

&uot;It’s very frustrating to see repeat offenders back on the street again when they display a perpetual pattern of behavior like this; that’s why it’s good to get them into the federal system. It gets them off the street.&uot;

He continued, &uot;It’s a sad truth, but in this business, it’s all about supply and demand. As long as there is somebody wants the product, whether legal or illegal, somebody else will work to provide it.&uot;

Timberlake commented, &uot;Mr. Carter was a person that we had received a large number of complaints on,&uot; said Timberlake. &uot;Judging from the nature and size of the arrest, I’m thinking that we will not be receiving any more complaints on him. By transferring him into federal custody, we’re trying to put an end to it.&uot;

Carter will remain in federal custody in Greenville pending a bond hearing. If found guilty on the federal charges, he could face between five and 40 years in prison.