LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Campbell County Sheriff’s Deputy Preston Mullins responded to a call on Demory Road last week about a car accident. When Mullins arrived, he found a silver Honda Civic over an embankment. The vehicle had hit several trees and shrubbery before stopping atop the shrubbery and was teetering on a fallen tree.

A report from the sheriff’s office said the road was wet and the weather was rainy. The markings on the roadway and dirt led Mullins to believe that the vehicle was traveling north on Demory Road too fast for road conditions and slid off the road on the south-bound side as the vehicle was maneuvering a right turn. Mullins made contact with three occupants as well as witnesses.

Mullins noticed the driver, identified as Heidi Ann Housley, was nervous. When asked for her driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance, and Housley allegedly told Mullins all of the documents were inside the vehicle. According to the report, due to the unsafe conditions, Mullins went to retrieve the documents instead of letting Housley retrieve them. As he approached the vehicle, he could allegedly smell a strong odor of what he believed to be Marijuana coming from the vehicle. Deputy Jacob Fox soon arrived to assist Mullins and could allegedly smell the same odor from the road. Housley and her passengers were asked if they smoked any Marijuana or drank any alcoholic beverages to which Housley replied that she does not smoke and that she was unaware if her passengers had smoked. Mullins entered the vehicle to retrieve the requested documents and could smell a stronger odor of Marijuana, the report said.

As Mullins was searching for the documents, he could allegedly see green leafy vegetation particles scattered throughout the vehicle. Mullins returned to the road and began speaking with Housley and asked her to perform field sobriety testing on which she performed poorly. She was again asked if she had inhaled anything to which denied. However, Housley allegedly told Mullins she “did a bump of Cocaine” a couple hours before driving, according to the report.

The vehicle was pulled back to the road where Mullins was able to search it. Inside he found a clear plastic bag containing a green leafy vegetation believed to be Marijuana in the passenger floorboard, as well as a clear plastic bag containing a residue of white powdery substance believed to be Cocaine in the center console, the report said.

Mullins spoke with the witnesses who reported they saw the occupants exit the vehicle, and they did see one of the passengers shove a bag of unknown contents into their pants. Mullins spoke with the passengers in the vehicle who were juveniles, and Fox conducted a pat down of one of the passengers and could feel something in the passengers’ pants. Mullins then attempted to search the passenger when they resisted and insisted that he be turned loose to his mother. Mullins detained the passenger and conducted a search. The search produced a clear plastic zip lock bag containing a green leafy substance believed to be Marijuana, as well as a silver-colored set of digital scales. As Mullins was retrieving the items, the passenger became belligerent and verbally abusive to Mullins and the assisting officers.

Housley, 20, 710 West Walden Street, LaFollette was charged with failure to maintain lane, drivers to exercise due care, driving under the influence (DUI), possession of schedule VI, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of child abuse and neglect and endangerment and two counts of reckless endangerment. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 01/19/2023-6AM)