Decatur man charged with drug trafficking freed on $500,900 bond

Apr. 19—A Decatur man accused of trafficking meth and fentanyl after Decatur police said they discovered 68 grams of narcotics during a search of a neighbor's property spoke out following his release from jail Wednesday on an over half-million-dollar bond.

Jaceis Kiari Vaughn, 34, was booked into Morgan County Jail on Monday afternoon following the execution of a search warrant by the Decatur Police Department in the 400 block of Seventh Avenue Southwest, according to jail records and an investigator's affidavit. He was charged with two counts of drug trafficking, misdemeanor attempt to elude, illegal possession of antibiotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.

"The fact that they had a search warrant for the address of 409 (Seventh Ave., Vaughn's residence) and searched it for three or four hours — they came up with nothing," Vaughn said Thursday. "No marijuana, no nothing. They go over there (to the neighbors') and find what they find, and they come over and charge me with it."

In early April, DPD's Vice/Narcotics Unit used an informant to purchase 28 grams of a meth/fentanyl mixture from Vaughn in a "closely monitored" operation, according to the police affidavit. An arrest warrant for drug trafficking was issued for Vaughn by Circuit Judge Jennifer Howell on April 8.

Police did not immediately serve the arrest warrant, instead executing a search warrant on Vaughn's residence a week later. Records showing what date the search warrant was issued were not publicly available Thursday.

Investigators said when they arrived to search the residence Monday, Vaughn was found attempting to flee on foot.

"Despite his attempt to escape, investigators successfully apprehended Vaughn without any resistance," the affidavit reads. "Utilizing drone footage, investigators observed Vaughn running into the backyard of the neighboring residence."

Vaughn claimed he ran through the neighbors' backyard and into the alley without stopping.

Investigators said they searched the neighbors' home, with consent, and found "approximately 68 grams of narcotics and a firearm concealed under the grill in the backyard."

Rodney Goode, who lives next door, said his wife allowed police to do a walkthrough of their home. He arrived home from a doctor's appointment at around 11:30 a.m. Monday to find eight or nine officers combing the area.

"That's my friend's son," he said of Vaughn. "The backyard and front yard were full of cops searching both houses."

Following the alleged discovery of drugs, investigators said Vaughn in an interview admitted to placing the narcotics in the grill around 30 days earlier.

"I was not in my right mind," Vaughn said Thursday. "She (the investigator) was like, 'Just write down that you knew it was right there and how long you think it had been there.' She really coerced me. I was putting down what she was telling me to put down."

Vaughn claimed he is asthmatic and was under duress during the interview.

DPD in a Wednesday press release said the search uncovered a trafficking amount of a fentanyl/meth mixture, a firearm, prescription pills, drug paraphernalia and money. Two other men were at the residence with Vaughn, according to police, and were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and loitering.

A complaint filed against Vaughn shows the pills were doxycycline and sulfamethoxazole, two common antibiotics.

Vaughn's second arrest warrant for trafficking issued on Monday includes a handwritten annotation from Howell below the bond amount: "Defendant has a pending trafficking charge and prior felony convictions."

Court records show Vaughn pleaded guilty to first-degree marijuana possession in 2014 and was sentenced to two years of probation.

"See, they expected me not to be able to make bond, but by the grace of God, I got people in my corner that weren't going to let me sit in there," Vaughn said. "They know this was false."

Goode said he got along well with Vaughn.

"I thought that (the bond) was pretty excessive," he said. "But he got out."

Vaughn, who currently has a court-appointed attorney, said he's trying to scrape together enough money to hire his own lawyer to fight the "bogus" charges. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.