Seat belt violation lands man in jail, $20,000 worth of meth seized

ARJAY/BELL COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – On Tuesday, March 24, 2021, at approximately 7:41 p.m. while on routine patrol on Highway 66, Bell County Sheriff’s K-9 Deputy Adam Southern saw the driver of a 1999 Toyota pickup not wearing a seatbelt.

After a traffic stop, Deputy Southern made contact with the driver, 66-year-old Jimmy Collett, of Arjay, who was seen trying to hide or grab an object under the driver’s seat, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

K-9 Chan was deployed and alerted to the presence of drugs on the exterior of the driver’s side of the truck. Southern then conducted a search of the vehicle which yielded a large bag containing six other large bags of a crystal-like substance believed to be Methamphetamine with a total weight of 191 grams and street value of $20,000, the department said in a release.

Also found were several small bags of the same crystal-like substance which were individually packaged for sale, a blue Valium pill, a white Hydrocodone, a glass pipe with residue, and $919 in cash, according to the release.

Jimmy Collett was charged with trafficking in a controlled substance – 1^st degree, 2^nd or greater offense (greater than 2 grams – Methamphetamine), trafficking in a controlled substance – 1^st  degree, 1^st offense – (drug unspecified), buying/possessing drug paraphernalia, and failure to wear a seatbelt.

He is being held on a $5,000 cash bond.