FROM STAFF REPORTS

A Statesville man faces felony drug charges after Iredell County Sheriff’s Office deputies apprehended him after witnessing a hand-to-hand drug transaction over the weekend.

Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrest of Jeffrey Todd Turner Sr., 48, in a news release Monday.

ICSO Narcotics Division detectives witnessed a drug sale on Deaton Street in Statesville on Saturday, Campbell said. Deputies assigned to the Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Team then conducted a traffic stop on the suspect’s vehicle in the 1100 block of West Front Street, he added.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Turner, fled on foot but was detained after a short chase, according to the news release.

Deputies searched Turner and his vehicle and located multiple bags of crack cocaine packaged for sale, as well as 20 lorazepam pills and various items of drug paraphernalia, Campbell said.

Turner was transported to the Iredell County Detention Center, where he was charged with Felony Possession with Intent to Sale/Deliver Cocaine, Felony Possession with Intent to Sale/Deliver Schedule IV (Lorazepam), Felony Maintain a Vehicle for the Sale of a Controlled Substance, Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor Resisting a Public Officer, and Driving While License Revoked. He was also served with several outstanding arrest warrants.

Magistrate Thompson issued Turner a $52,000 bond on these charges.

According to the ICSO, Turner’s criminal history includes the following charges: Misdemeanor Shoplifting by Concealment, Four Felony Counts Sell or Deliver Cocaine, Four Felony Counts of Possession with Intent to Sell or Deliver Cocaine, Five Counts of Misdemeanor Resisting a Public Officer, Felony Maintain a Vehicle for the Sale of a Controlled Substance, Two Counts of Felony Flee to Elude Arrest, Felony Conspire to Possess Cocaine, DWI Level 3, Felony Breaking and Entering, and Seven Counts of Driving While License Revoked.