Sometimes, routine campaigns can lead to big results.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office is in the middle of a 420 Blitz, which is a Drug Impaired Enforcement Campaign that runs from April 18 to April 24. The campaign is sponsored by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). The 420 represents the "national marijuana holiday," which supposedly falls on April 20 each year.
During this blitz, the sheriff's office made a big arrest. On April 18, deputies were conducting a safety checkpoint on U.S. 98 near Enon Road around midnight, and they came into contact with Melvin McGowan, 47, of Lumberton.
A roadside investigation was done after it was found that McGowan had no tag, no driver's license, no insurance and had outstanding warrants. Deputies also smelled marijuana in the vehicle.
McGowan was asked to step out of the vehicle, and deputies found 686 grams of methamphetamine and two firearms. They also discovered the truck McGowan was driving had been stolen out of Jackson.
McGowan has a lengthy criminal history throughout several states.
He has been charged with armed aggravated trafficking for the drugs and firearms, which carries a minimum of 25 years up to a life sentence. He has also been charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, receiving stolen property, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia and DUI.
The motto of the campaign is "If you feel different, you drive different," and the campaign includes traffic stops, safety checkpoints and saturation patrol of high traffic areas. The MCSO must report data on 17 different violations such as DUI arrests, traffic stops, seatbelt citations, crashes and more. The data for the campaign will not be available until after April 24, but from October 2020 to September 2021, the MCSO had 309 DUI/other substance arrests agency wide.
