IFN Staff

Two suspects face drug trafficking charges after an Iredell County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped their vehicle on Wilkesboro Highway.

Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrests of  Matthew Charles Day, 43, and Loree Lee Hammons, 59, both of County Home Road, Conover, in a news release Wednesday.

ICSO Deputy A. Jackson conducted a traffic stop on a Nissan Sentra about 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 7, Campbell said. While speaking with Hammons, who was driving, and Day, deputies noticed inconsistencies and suspicious behavior, according to the news release.

Deputies Cinque and Epling responded to assist at the scene, and the occupants gave consent to a search of the vehicle, Campbell said,

During the search, deputies located drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine on the individuals, as well as inside the vehicle, according to the news release. In total, deputies seized 31 grams of methamphetamine, which meets the threshold for trafficking charges, the sheriff said.

Hammons and Day were taken into custody and transported to the Iredell County Detention Center.

They were charged with Felony Trafficking Methamphetamine by Possession, Felony Trafficking Methamphetamine by Transport, Felony Maintaining a Vehicle for a Controlled Substance, and multiples misdemeanor drug offenses.

Magistrate Callejas set Hammons’ bond at $225,000. Day, who was out on bond for unrelated charges, was held without bond.

“This case highlights the importance of proactive patrol and thorough investigations by our deputies,” Campbell said. “Methamphetamine continues to be a dangerous drug impacting communities across North Carolina, and our office remains committed to holding traffickers accountable.”