BEDFORD- A Bedford man was arrested on Sunday, May 25, on charges of possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a syringe, and possession of drug paraphernalia after police found him lurking around a business. Michael Jeffrey Turpin, 42, was also found to have a full extradition warrant out of Kentucky. He has been placed in the custody of the Lawrence County Jail.
According to an affidavit for probable cause filed by Officer Michael Bell of the Bedford Police Department, Officer Bell was on patrol in the area of 28 Lincoln Avenue at approximately 4:47 p.m. on Sunday, when he observed individuals behind a business. Officer Bell recognized one of the individuals as Michael Turpin, whom he was familiar with from previous incidents.
Officer Bell ran Turpin’s information through NCIC/IDACS/BMV, which revealed an active full extradition warrant out of Kentucky. While awaiting confirmation on whether the issuing agency would extradite, Officer Bell made contact with Turpin across the street from where he was initially observed.
Turpin was placed in handcuffs, and during a search incident to arrest, he freely stated that he had a “rig” in his pocket, a term known to law enforcement as slang for syringes used to ingest illegal narcotics. The search of Turpin’s person yielded the following items:
- A clear plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance, which field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
- A cut straw with a crystal meth residue.
- One syringe.
- A folded lottery ticket containing a crystal meth.
- A piece of an aluminum can with crystal meth.
All listed items were collected and transported to the Bedford Police Department for photographing, packaging, sealing, and placement into evidence. After confirmation of the Kentucky warrant, Turpin was transported to the Lawrence County Jail for housing.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
