One person arrested following drug bust in Missouri

MISSOURI — A routine call for service led to a felony drug arrest last week after an employee at O’Reilly Auto Parts reported finding a suspicious bag in the store’s restroom.

Chelsea Ciara Estaline Hines, of Oklahoma, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, a Class D felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor, following the May 14 incident.

According to the Seymour Police Department, an O’Reilly employee contacted authorities around 12:40 p.m. after discovering a clear bag containing a white powdery substance in the store’s toilet.

Patrolman Judd Taylor responded to the scene and retrieved the bag, which tested positive for methamphetamine.

Witnesses told police that a man had entered the store, purchased headlights for a Dodge truck, and then used the restroom.

After leaving, he commented to employees about how strongly the toilet flushed. Shortly afterward, an employee found the bag in the toilet and called police.

When officers arrived, they spoke with the man and a woman accompanying him, later identified as Hines. In addition to the Dodge truck, the pair had a second vehicle, a Chevrolet passenger car.

Officers observed a methamphetamine pipe inside that vehicle.

While speaking with Hines, police say she reached into her purse, prompting officers to detain her. A search was conducted after a Douglas County drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics.

Inside Hines’ purse, officers found multiple bags containing a crystal-like substance, a syringe, and a rubber band associated with drug injection. Additional meth was discovered in the vehicle’s center console.

Hines reportedly admitted to owning much of the methamphetamine found. She and the male subject were both taken into custody and transported to the Webster County Jail.

During booking, Hines disclosed she had a syringe hidden in her bra, which was recovered by jail staff. The man reportedly apologized to Hines in the booking area, saying the bag “must have fallen out of his pocket” in the restroom.

The seized methamphetamine had an unofficial weight of 7.76 grams. A bond hearing for Hines was held Tuesday, with Webster County Associate Circuit Judge Justin Evans presiding.

Both vehicles were towed from the scene by Yates Boys Towing of Seymour.