Badin Police arrests Albemarle man for crystal meth

Published 12:09 pm Friday, September 4, 2020

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Officers of the Badin Police Department arrested an Albemarle man Friday after finding a firearm and controlled substances in his vehicle during a traffic stop.

Joshua Hatley

Joshua Lee Hatley, of 31923 Old Herlocker Road, Albemarle, was stopped while driving a green 2007 Ford Taurus along Dewey Street in Badin.

In addition to the firearm, officers located and seized 46 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 26 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, including small syringes.

BPD officers, with assistance from Stanly County Sheriff’s Office, charged Hatley with possession with intent to sell and deliver schedule II, trafficking methamphetamine, simple possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license revoked, fictitious tag, no insurance and expired inspection.

Hatley was transported to the Stanly County Jail where he received a $360,000 secured bond. His first court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Badin Police Chief Stephen Smith, who began his tenure with Badin Police Department in April, has reworked department policy, hired officers to fill vacancies and issued patrol directives.

“This is a situation where good officers made good decisions and got good results for the community,” Smith said. “We’ve been working through a rebuilding phase for a few months, and the new structure is paying off. Arrests like this one are just the visible side of diligent patrol, careful planning and vital cooperative interagency operations.”