A Sulphur Rock woman has been arrested in connection with a recent drug trafficking case against 34-year-old Bobby Joe Gray, whom authorities say is her boyfriend.
33-year-old Lauren Ariel Jernigan was arrested Wednesday, while visiting Gray at the Baxter County Detention Center. Law enforcement discovered through phone recordings with him, she had removed evidence from the scene while authorities were conducting a search of his residence.
Jernigan is charged with trafficking a controlled substance, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms (class Y felonies), possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of Fentanyl with the purpose to deliver, possession of firearms by certain persons, the same charges as Gray. And in addition, she is being charged with tampering with physical evidence.
In that search, law enforcement saw a notebook with what appeared to be a business ledger that included several names and dollar amounts next to them. Some appeared to be have been paid, and others had not. When authorities returned from the search of the property, they noticed the ledger was missing and it was dismissed as an omission and believed to have been left at the residence.
Through the phone records, Jernigan admitted to Gray that she waited until everyone was gone and removed the ledger. There was further discussion on how officers did not find many items inside, and they specifically talked about how one of the investigators “walked right past it” on a trail near the rear of the property.
During the initial investigation, Jernigan denied to have any knowledge whatsoever of methamphetamine sales and was given the opportunity at that point to take officers to anything that may have been missed. Authorities state during the recorded conversations, it is common for Gray and Jernigan to speak in code and use nicknames when speaking of others, which suggested her role in the drug operation was more significant.
Jernigan is being held on $500,000 bond.
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