Ray Keith Elliott
Fires Creek – A pair of Robbinsville men were recently pulled over for a set of vehicle violations, but what authorities discovered proved to be a much-larger set of charges.
At 6:59 p.m., April 21, a pair of Clay County deputies stopped a red Chevrolet truck at the intersection of U.S. 64 West and Lance Cove Road, for showing faulty truck and trailer lights. Driving the pick-up was 50-year-old Ray Keith Elliott; the passenger was Billy Lane.
Clay County Lt. Dep. Tyler Faggard asked Elliott if there was anything illegal inside the vehicle. Elliott allegedly told Faggard that a "meth pipe" was inside, before grabbing it from a cup holder and handing it to Faggard.
Elliott was then asked to step outside the truck, where a subsequent search of his person revealed a small, clear bag that contained a substance which field-tested positive as methamphetamine.
Elliott was arrested and charged with felony possession of methamphetamine; he was ultimately held for 48 hours without bond.
It was discovered that Lane had an outstanding warrant for his arrest out of Georgia, but the issuing agency declined to extradite.