IOLA, Grimes County — Three individuals were recently arrested on drug charges in Iola after a nearly two-month investigation by authorities, according to the Grimes County Sheriff's Office.
Around 6:50 p.m. on Thursday, a car was stopped for a defective brake light on FM 244 near Trinity Avenue in northern Iola. The K9 Unit from the Todd Mission Police Department assisted in discovering drugs in the car, which led to the arrest of Russel Ray Reed for 45 grams of methamphetamine and Ziploc baggies. He has been charged with the Manufacture and Delivery of a Controlled Substance in Penalty Group 1 between 4 and 200 grams.
According to the sheriff's office, the arrest allowed Special Agents with the Texas Department of Public Safety and a Grimes County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Investigator to find out where Kevin Biddle and Helen McClanahand lived. The two were suspected to be involved with drugs alongside Reed.
On Monday around 1 p.m., DPS Troopers and Special Agents tried to stop Biddle for having an expired registration, but he took off in an attempt to get away from authorities. During the pursuit, Biddle threw a "substantial amount" of prepackaged methamphetamine that was ready to be distributed. He was eventually caught and taken into custody. A search by the Grimes County Sheriff's Office K9 also uncovered a bottle of brake fluid under the car's hood that was later identified as cocaine and fentanyl through field tests.
Roughtly half an hour later, a search warrant was executed at a home off of FM 244 by the Texas Department of Public Safety and Grimes County Sheriff's Office with the help of the Robertson County Sheriff's Office. More methamphetamine was discovered during the search warrant, as well as McClanahand. She was also taken into custody after the search warrant was executed.
The two were charged with:
- Biddle
- Evading Arrest Detention with a Motor Vehicle with Previous Convictions, 3rd Degree Felony
- Tampering with Physical Evidence, 3rd Degree Felony
- Manufacture and Delivery of Controlled Substance in Penalty Group 1 >=200G < 400G, 1st Degree Felony
- Manufacture and Delivery of a Controlled Substance in Penalty Group 1 >=200<400G, 1st Degree Felony
- McClanahand
- Manufacture and Delivery of a Controlled Substance in Penalty Group 1 >=200<400G, 1st Degree Felony
In total, the following items were seized in the arrests:
- 405 grams of liquid cocaine and fentanyl
- 445 grams of methamphetamine
- Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
- 1.16 ounces of marijuana
- $2326.91 in money
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