ELIZABETHTON – A man who had been suspected of being responsible for methamphetamine implements found in a car in Hampton on Sunday was arrested early Tuesday morning in the parking lot of Elizabethton High School.
Dustin Caleb Potter, 29, 203 Old Charity Hill Road, was arrested by Officer James Sexton of the Elizabethton Police Department after the arrest warrant from Sunday was discovered. Sgt. Harmon Duncan of the Carter County Sheriff's Department had charged Potter with initiation of the process intended to result in the manufacture of methamphetamine, promotion of methamphetamine manufacture and felony drug paraphernalia. Sexton added a charge of criminal simulation.
Duncan said Potter had been the subject of an investigation that had been going on for several weeks on mehtamphetamine-related activity.
Things broke loose Sunday afternoon when deputies responded to a call about a fight at 105 Betty Street in Hampton. Witnesses told deputies that Potter had been involved in the altercation and had been operating a white Chevrolet Cavalier in the parking lot of the residence. Potter had already fled the scene and could not be located, officers said.
A police dog indicated drugs could be in the Cavalier, and officers searched it. Duncan said a backpack was found that witnesses had seen Potter carrying. Duncan said the backpack contained 18 psuedoephedrine pills, drain cleaner, Coleman lantern fuel, cold packs, lithium battery fragments and a funnel containg white residue. Duncan said there was also an open bag of ammonium nitrate. In an area adjacent to the car, deputies found three plastic bottles containing white residue, fragments of lithium batteries, and one bottle with a rubber tube running through the bottle cap, indicating it had been used as a "gasser."
A check of records at local pharmacies indicated Potter had made recent purchases of psuedoephedrine, Duncan said.
Duncan took out the arrest warrants because Potter was not found at the Hampton residence.
Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, Officer Sexton served the warrants on Potter. Sexton said he arrived in the parking lot of Elizabethton High School to assist in a traffic stop. He said a rear passenger identified himself as Dustin Simcox, but had no identification. Sexton said the man was also being evasive when speaking to him.
Sexton said no records could be found for Simcox and the man finally admitted to being Dustin Potter. Sexton was then able to discover the arrest warrants Duncan had filed. Potter is scheduled to answer the charges in Sessions Court on Dec. 18.