Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — May 5, 2025 — A routine traffic stop near the intersection of East Nettleton Avenue and Stevens Street led to felony drug charges and a $500,000 bond for a Jonesboro woman already out on bond for a separate drug-related offense.
Jonesboro police officers were conducting surveillance in the area when they noticed a gray Kia passenger car sitting idly at the entrance of a gas station for several minutes. The vehicle was running but didn’t move from the lot for some time. Eventually, it pulled out, and officers initiated a traffic stop.
The driver and the passenger, identified as 27-year-old Joann Wells, were not wearing seat belts when officers made contact. According to the probable cause affidavit, both appeared slightly sweaty, spoke rapidly, and the driver’s hands were visibly shaking. A check revealed that Wells was out on bond for a pending death by delivery charge from June 2024.
Officers called for a K-9 unit to assist with the stop. A free air sniff of the vehicle resulted in a positive alert for narcotics. During a search, officers discovered a large plastic baggie in the center console that contained 78 unmarked yellow capsules filled with white powder and 13 legitimate amoxicillin pills. Both Wells and the driver said they did not know what the pills were, the affidavit said.
Further search of Wells’s purse revealed a small mirror with white powder residue. According to the affidavit, field tests later confirmed the residue to be methamphetamine. The driver was issued a citation for not wearing a seat belt and was released at the scene. Wells, however, was arrested and transported to the Craighead County Jail for felony possession of drug paraphernalia.
During Wells’s transport, officers reviewed footage from the backseat camera of the patrol vehicle and observed Wells attempting to retrieve something from her pants while handcuffed, the affidavit said. At one point, she leaned forward against the vehicle’s cage, holding a small object in her left hand behind her back. According to the affidavit, the video showed her passing the object to her right hand before tossing it into her mouth.
Once at the jail, Wells removed a folded receipt from her body and discarded it on a bench in the booking area. Jail staff recovered the receipt and checked inside but found it empty. Based on the in-vehicle footage, officers charged her with tampering with physical evidence.
Wells now faces multiple charges: possession of a counterfeit substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with physical evidence, and improper seat belt usage. Because she was already out on bond for a prior felony offense, her bond was set at $500,000 cash or surety.
She is scheduled to appear in court on June 27.
