Jackson County Sheriff's Department Makes Two Drug Arrests

Wayne T. White

Stephen A. Clark

On Tuesday, December 14, 2010, officers with the Jackson County Proactive Criminal Enforcement Unit/PACE conducted a traffic stop on a 1994 Jeep Cherokee traveling west on Interstate 10. The stop was made for multiple traffic violations.

Upon officers approaching the vehicle, the strong odor of marijuana was observed coming from inside the vehicle. The driver was identified as Wayne T. White, 41 of Pensacola, Florida and his passenger as Stephen A. Clark also of Pensacola.

A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted. During that search user amounts of marijuana and cocaine were located along with a glass-smoking pipe typically used to smoke marijuana.

Also located during the search was a large quantity of prescription pills including over 180 Hydrocodone pills, over 200 oxycodone pills, and over 60 Xanax pills all belonging to White. Through further investigation it was determined that White and Clark had been to south Florida “Doctor Shopping”.

The sale of illegal prescription pills has been consistently increased in Jackson County and the surrounding panhandle communities in the past year. The abuse of prescription medication is escalating at an alarming rate and it has been directly linked with several deaths in recent months. The vast majority of the pills making their way to our local streets are coming from pain clinics in the south Florida area. The pills seized from White and Clark valued in excess of $2000 on the street.

White was arrested and housed in the Jackson County Jail on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Hydrocodone and Withholding Information from a Medical Practitioner (Doctor Shopping). Clark was arrest and housed in the Jackson County Jail on charges of Possession of Controlled Substance, Hydrocodone, Possession of Controlled Substance, Cocaine, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.