A pretrial hearing was held yesterday in Crawford County for Sheriff Jimmy Stephens who is accused of possessing illegal drugs and a firearm during a traffic stop. 

Stephens was pulled over in Crawford County on December 3rd, 2022 and found to have 3 oxycodone pills, 2 hydrocodone pills, a “small amount” of cannabis, and 9 ounces of cannabis butter. He was initially pulled over for speeding but authorities then relayed to the media that they had been directed to initiate a traffic stop by the FBI. 

Stephens had been seen leaving a home that the FBI had been surveilling as part of an investigation. Stephens claimed he was just meeting with confidential informants as part of his job. Stephens was charged with Simultaneous Possession of Drugs and Firearms and Possession of a Controlled Substance, both felonies.

The pretrial hearing dealt with issues relating to the location of evidence and another status hearing was set for June 21st at 10:00 am at the Crawford County Justice Center. 

According to the case notes filed on Court Connect in the case, the state is waiting for crime lab results from the state crime lab as well as the FBI crime lab. They are also waiting on a hair follicle test from the FBI lab as well as text message records from three separate cell phones from the Arkansas crime lab. 

A jury trial has been tentatively set for July 28th at 9 am at the Crawford County Courthouse but this could change based on the evidence availability or any number of other issues.