According to a probable cause statement, on June 9th Dent County Sherriff’s Department received a complaint of a Silver SUV driving at a high rate of speed, weaving in and out of traffic. At that time deputies were unable to locate the vehicle. A few hours later they received a complaint of a silver SUV parked in a traffic lane of a county road with a man passed out in the vehicle. The deputy approached the passenger side of the vehicle, and the vehicle was running.
A white male was reclined in the driver’s seat, behind the steering wheel, apparently unconscious. The officer noticed a glass smoking device, commonly used to ingest methamphetamine, in his lap. He began rapping loudly on the window in an attempt to wake the subject. The man finally opened his eyes and was instructed him to open the door. When the man opened the door the officer secured the pipe and a torch from beside him.
He was identified as Brian Taggart and was instructed to exit the vehicle. Taggart admitted to using methamphetamine. Taggart was secured in the rear seat of the patrol vehicle while awaiting the arrival of a K-9 to search the vehicle.
Taggart stated that Fentanyl was in the vehicle so rather than subjecting the K9 to that they searched the vehicle and in the vehicle they located, in addition to the glass smoking device that had already been seized, 2 glass smoking pipes, with residue, 3 snorting straws, with residue, 18 capsules (beans) containing powder consistent with Fentanyl, 12 empty capsules with residue, 2 baggies with a crystalline substance. Taggart has been charged with 2nd Degree Drug Trafficking, Possession of a Controlled a Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
