Drug charges filed against trio

Published 11:16 am Tuesday, June 30, 2009

AHOSKIE – Apparently, illegal drug use isn’t just reserved for young people.

On Saturday, the Ahoskie Police Department made a trio of drug-related arrests – one for a 65-year-old man and, in what was reported as a related case, two Virginia women, one age 50 and the other 44.

Earl Wayne Odom, 65, was arrested at his Creekwood Court apartment and charged with simple possession of cocaine and heroin as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. He was jailed under a $75,000 secured bond.

As APD Patrol Officer Tyrone Ruffin and Sgt. Andres Snape were answering a call in the same area, they stopped a vehicle leaving Odom’s apartment. A search of that vehicle revealed cocaine and drug paraphernalia, leading to the arrests of Vickie Maureen Scott, 44, and Sybil Davila, 50, both of Franklin, Va.

Both women were charged with felony possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. They were taken to the Hertford County Detention Center, each under a $10,000 secured bond.

According to APD Detective Sgt. Stephen White, he was investigating several complaints of narcotics dealings involving Odom.

“We have been actively investigating those complaints over recent weeks,” Detective Sgt. White said. “He consented on Saturday to a search of his residence at which time we discovered numerous items, including narcotics.”

Among the paraphernalia items was a normal looking bottle of water. However, the bottle could be pulled apart, with water still visible at the top and bottom, revealing a hidden compartment in-between.

“As those who choose to use these illegal drugs become more sophisticated in ways to keep these drugs hidden, we must become more and more observant,” APD Chief Troy Fitzhugh said. “I commend all the officers in these cases as they used their training to look beyond the obvious and discover illegal drugs.”