Two Decatur men charged with drug trafficking

David Gambino, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
Updated ·3 min read

Apr. 20—Two Decatur men were each charged with drug trafficking in separate arrests made this week by the Morgan County Sheriff's Office and the Decatur Police Department.

Holden Tyler Blevins, 33, was charged with trafficking fentanyl on Monday and remained in Morgan County Jail on Friday in lieu of a $16,600 bond, jail records show.

William Andrew Owens, 45, was charged with trafficking meth Thursday morning and was released a few hours later on a $5,600 bond.

MCSO deputies on Monday responded to a "suspicious person" call at the Red Roof Inn Hartselle at 1800 Dixie Lane Southeast, according to an investigator's affidavit.

"During the investigation, deputies found a container in the driver door which contained containers with blue powder which they believed to be fentanyl along with an amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia," the affidavit reads. While it's unclear what vehicle the affidavit refers to, it says Blevins was identified as a suspect.

The blue powder field-tested positive for fentanyl, according to the affidavit. Blevins was reportedly read the Miranda warning and transported to jail without incident. In addition to trafficking, he was also charged with possession of meth and drug paraphernalia.

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, Decatur police stopped a vehicle driven by William Owens near Old Moulton Road and West Chapel Hill Road, according to an investigator's affidavit.

"Owens was found to be in possession of a trafficking amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia," the affidavit reads. Decatur PD's Vice/Narcotics Unit reportedly took over the investigation from there, and Owens was booked into jail.

Court records show Owens pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, a Class C felony, in 2005 and was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

Blevins was previously charged with trafficking fentanyl in November 2022 after Decatur PD's Vice/Narcotics Unit searched a residence in the 1600 block of College Street Southeast, according to an investigator's affidavit. That case has yet to be reviewed by a Morgan County grand jury.

Court records show Blevins did not attend a Pretrial Intervention and Drug Court information briefing following that arrest as, according to a handwritten annotation, he's a "previous graduate."

Blevins pleaded guilty after he was charged with second-degree theft in 2016 and was sentenced in 2019 to 31 months imprisonment with 25 months suspended, court records show. His probation was subsequently revoked in 2021 and 2022.

In February 2022, Circuit Judge Jennifer Howell, at Blevins' request and the recommendation of the Morgan County Community Corrections drug treatment coordinator, ordered Blevins to complete an inpatient drug rehab program at Cedar Lodge in Guntersville, according to court records.

Blevins has other possession charges and in 2012 was charged with unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance, a Class B felony, before the court dismissed it in 2013.

The recent arrest warrants for Blevins and Owens indicate their bonds were set by Morgan County Magistrate Mary Wright.

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