Photo: Ryan Eberley
A man first arrested in February last year after his 19-month-old son tested positive for methamphetamine and who picked up more felony charges while in the county jail appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court last Thursday.
Twenty-seven-year-old Ryan J. Eberley of Gassville entered a guilty plea to the charges against him and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Eberley and 28-year-old Alexandra Neel were both charged in the initial case with introducing a controlled substance into the body of another, endangering the welfare of a minor and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Photo: Alexandra Neel. Photo: Courtesy Arkansas Department of Correction
Neel pled guilty to endangering and possession of drug paraphernalia in late August last year and was given six years in prison. She is an inmate in the Wrightsville Women’s facility of the state prison system.
The state dropped the introducing drugs into the body of another charge against Neel and Eberley.
In the initial case, Eberley and Neel were arrested after a hair follicle test run on their son showed a significant level of methamphetamine in his system. According to the probable cause affidavit, the methamphetamine level in the boy’s system was 200 times more than is required for detection.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) removed the child from the home, when the test results were received.
When the couple’s residence along Opportunity Street in Gassville was checked, DHS staff reported seeing two glass pipes normally used to smoke methamphetamine in a drawer in the couple’s bedroom they shared with the child.
At the time she was arrested along with Eberley, Neel was on probation after being convicted of possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in August 2018.
A petition to revoke the suspended sentence was filed, after Neal was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor.
The state dismissed the revocation petition after Neel pled guilty to the endangerment charge.
Eberley has been an inmate in the county jail since Feb. 14.
While in custody charges
Eberley picked up the first of his “while in custody” charges in late April last year stemming from an alleged attempt by 23-year-old Sean David Ford to sneak methamphetamine, tobacco and one dosage unit of a Schedule III controlled substance into the jail for Eberley.
Photo: Sean David Ford
According to the probable cause affidavit, Ford brought a Walmart photo envelope into the detention center. Because staff was occupied, he was told to leave it in the lobby of the building, and it would be collected and delivered.
When a jailer picked up the package for inspection, she noticed it was heavy and bulky. When it was searched, the drugs and tobacco were found.
In addition, Ford had hand written and signed a letter to Eberley providing evidence of his involvement. He was also recognized on surveillance camera footage bringing the package into the jail.
Eberley allegedly admitted during an interview he was expecting the illegal contents to be in the package.
He is charged with conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, conspiracy to deliver a Schedule III controlled substance and furnishing, possessing, or using prohibited articles in the jail.
Inmate assault
In early September 2021, Eberley picked up his most recent “while in custody” charges, when he is alleged to have assaulted another inmate.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Eberley was being brought into the jail from the recreation yard.
Footage from video surveillance cameras was reviewed and it reportedly showed Eberley going into the victim’s cell and hitting him several times.
Eberley was charged with second-degree battery, disorderly conduct and impairing the operation of a vital public facility.
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