AULANDER – A routine drug arrest three weeks ago has now evolved into something much deeper.

Thanks to the inquisitive nature of Bertie County Sheriff’s Deputy Bonnie Brantley, details are surfacing that a Lewiston-Woodville man is wanted for murder in Alabama.

On Dec. 22, Jamal Peebles, 29 of 3512 Governor’s Road, Lewiston-Woodville, was charged by the Aulander Police Department with intent to sale and deliver marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

However, it now appears that Jamal Peebles is actually Irvin Peebles III. According to information provided by the Alexander City (Ala.) Outlook and Dadeville (Ala.) Record, Irvin Peebles III was indicted for murder several years ago in Tallapoosa County, Ala.

Apparently, Peebles left Alabama and was later the subject of a fairly intensive manhunt by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and other organizations.

According to Aulander Police Officer Jimmy Barmer, a fugitive warrant was issued on Monday and Peebles was taken to the Bertie-Martin Regional Jail where he is held under a $1 million secured bond.

Peebles was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday. There he was advised of his rights and could choose to waive extradition and be immediately returned to Alabama or ask for an extradition hearing, one delaying that process.

In the meantime, Barmer praised Deputy Brantley for her work in learning Peebles’ true identity.

“She went above and beyond the call of duty to find out the real info on this man; she dug deeper into his background,” Barmer said. “Our Sheriff’s Office here in Bertie County is very fortunate to have her.”

On Monday, Deputy Brantley revealed what her research had produced.

“She called me in regards to the person that (Aulander Police Officer) Brian Knowles and I arrested back on Dec. 22,” Barmer said. “She had information that he was not Jamal Peebles, but rather Irvin Peebles III, a person wanted in Alabama on a murder case.”

In turn, Barmer immediately contacted Officer Knowles, who was on duty in Aulander on Monday.

“Brian told me he had just seen Mr. Peebles in the area of NC 11 and NC 305,” Barmer stated. “I then met with Brian and we went to that same area, finding Mr. Peebles walking along the road.”

The Aulander officers detained Peebles, taking him to the Sheriff’s Office in Windsor where it was confirmed that he was Irvin Peebles III.

Officer Knowles contacted the authorities in Tallapoosa County of the arrest.

Peebles, whose NC Department of Correction records show he was born in Onslow County, has previous arrests and convictions dating back to 1998. The majority of those cases were in Hertford County: larceny and disorderly conduct on Feb. 9, 1998 and DWI, Level 3, on Nov. 22, 2001.

On Aug. 9, 2000, Peebles was arrested in Onslow County for misdemeanor larceny and breaking & entering. He served a 45-day sentence on those consolidated charges.

On Dec. 22 of last year, a vehicle operated by Peebles was stopped for an equipment violation in Aulander by Officer Knowles. After stopping the vehicle on Snipes Street, Officer Knowles reported he noted the strong smell of marijuana emitting from the interior of the vehicle as he was approaching the driver’s side window. Knowles called for back-up and was assisted by Barmer.

The officers conducted a search of the vehicle and of Peebles. Barmer reported that in Peebles’ possession were three small individual bags of marijuana. Inside the vehicle, two larger bags as well as three additional small individual bags of pot were discovered. Also found in the vehicle was a smoking pipe (bong).

(Dale Liesch of the Alexander City Outlook and Dadeville Reporter contributed to this story.)