Stafford, VA – A man from Lignum, aged 36, has been charged with a felony for possessing controlled substances following an incident at a local inn.
On Tuesday at around 10:30 p.m., Sergeant B.U. Demirci and Deputy C.R. Newman were called to America’s Best Value Inn on Warrenton Road. Reports indicated a shirtless male acting erratically, leading officers to find him near the I-95 interchange. The man was identified as Bennie Smith.
Smith admitted to being at the inn but claimed he was headed to a different motel on Warrenton Road. Showing signs of intoxication, Smith was consequently arrested and taken to Rappahannock Regional Jail.
At the jail, Smith dropped a small object with a white powder while changing into jail attire. Officers and Smith scrambled for the object, which Smith attempted to ingest. Deputy Newman intervened to secure both Smith and the substance. Smith has been charged with public intoxication, felony evidence destruction, and obstruction of justice. His initial hold was replaced with a $5,000 secured bond.