LEONARDTOWN, Md. – Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office made three drug-related arrests during separate traffic stops within a six-hour period as part of proactive traffic enforcement.
At approximately 10:05 p.m. on Thursday, August 1, Deputy Joseph Senatore and Deputy First Class Travis Wimberly were patrolling in Lexington Park when Deputy Senatore observed a silver Jeep Cherokee abruptly leave a residential parking lot at a high rate of speed, and Deputy Wimberly observed the vehicle failing to stop at a stop sign.
After initiating a traffic stop for the violation, the deputies requested K9 assistance. Corporal Lacey Smith and her K9 partner, Kyra, responded and conducted a free-air sniff, which detected narcotics in the vehicle. A search of the car revealed suspected CDS paraphernalia containing suspected cocaine, buprenorphine hydrochloride pills, and a suboxone strip.
The driver, James Henry Elam III, 42, of Lexington Park, was searched, and a plastic bag containing suspected crack cocaine was found on his person. The passenger, Antonio Roberto Belen, 38, of Lexington Park, was also found in possession of suspected CDS paraphernalia containing suspected cocaine.
Both suspects were arrested; Elam was charged with three counts of CDS: Possession – Not Cannabis and three counts of CDS: Possession of Paraphernalia; Belen was charged with CDS: Possession – Not Cannabis and CDS: Possession of Paraphernalia.
At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Friday, August 2, Deputy Joseph Senatore initiated another traffic stop on a blue Jeep Cherokee for an equipment violation at Three Notch Road and Miramar Way in California, MD.
Deputy Senatore contacted the vehicle’s occupants, including the rear-seat passenger, Kevin Wendell Barnes, 55, of Lexington Park. Based on the circumstances, Deputy Senatore requested K9 assistance. K9 Kyra conducted a free-air sniff, detecting the presence of narcotics. A subsequent search revealed bags on the rear seat containing suspected CDS paraphernalia, crack cocaine, and cocaine residue.
Barnes was arrested and charged with two counts of CDS: Possession – Not Cannabis and two counts of CDS: Possession of Paraphernalia.
All suspects were transported to the Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Leonardtown to await bond hearings.
