FAYETTEVILLE - Police arrested three men, including the son of a former state senator, after they found drugs and weapons in their Fayetteville home Wednesday evening, authorities said.
The arrests resulted from a two-month investigation by the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force in Fayetteville and included three purchases of more than 60 grams of marijuana - about 2.1 ounces - by undercover agents, Sgt. Craig Stout of the Fayetteville Police Department said.
Authorities arrested Yuji Soda, 19, of Fayetteville on Wednesday after the undercover agents purchased the drugs and charged him with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, an arrest report said.
Officers then went to Soda’s North Salem Road home and found 239 grams of marijuana - 8.4 ounces - in bedrooms and other rooms, the arrest report said.
Police also found a loaded 9mm Glock handgun, marijuana and $3,470 in the bedroom of Paul Jerry Bookout, 21, the report said. Bookout, who was charged with simultaneous possession of a controlled substance and a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia, is the son of former state Sen. Paul Bookout of Jonesboro.
The elder Bookout resigned from office in August after the state Ethics Commission found he had used $53,305 in campaign funds for personal use. Receipts showed he used some of the money to buy golfing equipment, a 63-inch television screen and women’s clothing.
Police also found a 12-gauge shotgun in the room of Blake Melton, 20, along with marijuana inside jars and Tupperware containers, the report said. Melton was charged with possession of a controlled substance and a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The three men were released from the Washington County jail in Fayetteville on Thursday afternoon after each posted a $3,500 bond. Attempts to contact them were unsuccessful because no telephone listings for the men were found.
Bookout’s father did not answer a telephone call in Jonesboro, and Bill Stanley, a Jonesboro attorney who represented the former senator, said he was unaware of Paul Jerry Bookout’s arrest and did not know how to contact him.
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 02/28/2014