Pair charged with

precursor possession

An investigation by the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit yeilded two arrests Monday.

The logs of pseudoephedrine purchases maintained, as mandated by federal law, at area pharmacies, led officers to suspect Justin Dale Lee, 23, and Susan Miranda Hawley, 26, of Lakeview Drive in Deep Gap of purchasing illegal quantities of pseudoephedrine.

Lee was arrested on Jan. 3 on one misdemeanor count of exceeding pseudoephedrine limits. Bond on that charge was set at $1,000 unsecured. He was not placed in the detention center at that time.

The investigation continued. On Jan. 14, Special Operations officers arrested Lee and Hawley at their Deep Gap home. Lee was charged with 14 felony counts of possession of precursor chemicals with the intent to manufacture, sell or deliver controlled substances and two misdemeanor counts of exceeding the pseudoephedrine limits. The pseudoephedrine is considered a precursor chemical in the manufacturing of methamphetamine.

Hawley was charged with five felony counts of possession of precursor chemicals with the intent to manufacture, sell or deliver controlled substances and one misdemeanor count of exceeding the pseudoephedrine limits.

Both were taken before a Watauga County magistrate. Lee’s bond was set at $50,000, secured. Hawley’s bond was set at $35,000 secured. Both remain in custody at the Watauga County Detention Center and are scheduled to appear in district court on Feb. 21.

— By Melanie Davis, melanie@mountaintimes.com