(Smith County Insider Press) South Carthage, Tenn. – On Friday, September 4, Sgt. Junior Fields of the Smith County Sheriff’s Department passed a vehicle traveling on Lebanon Highway and it failed to dim its headlights when passing. Fields turned around and followed the vehicle, at which time he observed it passing a stop sign without stopping. Sgt. Fields then initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle.
Upon stopping the vehicle, Sgt. Fields identified the driver as Tammy Hoffman. Sgt. Fields asked Hoffman to step out of the vehicle in order to show her the headlights. He then asked dispatch to run her driver’s license for potential warrants. While waiting for a reply from dispatch, Sgt. Fields requested consent from Hoffman to search her vehicle. She denied consent. Sgt. Fields then advised Hoffman that he would be deploying his K-9 Unit to perform a free air sniff while they waited, and Hoffman stated that would be okay.
After deploying the K-9 Unit, it showed positive indication of drugs at the passenger side door. Sgt. Fields then asked Hoffman if she had any drugs in the vehicle, and she stated that her daughter had smoked marijuana in the car the previous day. Sgt. Fields completed a search of the vehicle, at which time he located a pill bottle that belonged to Hoffman in her purse. The prescription had been filled on 8/28/15 for 120 Hydrocodone pills. She was prescribed four pills per day (one pill every 6 hours). This indicated that their should only be 32 pills missing from the bottle. Upon counting the pills, Sgt. Fields counted only 30 pills remaining in the bottle. Sgt. Fields asked Hoffman what happened to the missing pills, and she stated that she sold 40 of her pills to a female in Lebanon for $6.00 each. Upon further search of her purse, Sgt. Fields located $300 cash. Hoffman stated she had obtained the cash from the sale of her Hydrocodone pills. Sgt. Fields also located a Suboxone Sublingual Film, which is a Schedule II drug.
Tammy Hoffman was placed into custody and transported to Smith County Jail Facility for booking.
The drugs and $300 cash were seized in accordance to TCA 53-11-451 (a)(6)(A).
Hoffman faces charges of possession of Schedule III Drugs and Fraudulently Forged Prescription.
