SALISBURY — What began as a call regarding a domestic incident at a Dunn’s Mountain Road home landed a Salisbury man in jail facing drug charges.
James Bifton Horton, 28, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. He remained in the Rowan County Detention Center on Tuesday under a $1,500 secured bond.
A woman who was at the house called law enforcement Saturday night. When deputies arrived, a report said, the woman appeared intoxicated. She told the deputy she wanted to retrieve her belongings. Deputies spoke with Horton, who said the woman’s belongings were in a back bedroom.
The officer noticed several items used for drug use including a spoon, a straw, a multi-colored glass pipe with marijuana residue, a clear glass pipe with meth residue, two syringes and a cut coat hanger used for “cleaning” the pipe, said Sheriff’s Office Capt. John Sifford.
The deputy first saw the straw and spoon. He asked Horton what he was doing with the straw. Horton said he and the woman were using it to “snort Xanax,” the report said. The deputy asked if there were other items and asked if he could search the rest of the room. Horton gave the deputy, another deputy and an officer with the Granite Quarry-Faith Joint Police Authority to search the room.
Earlier that Saturday morning, a Rowan Sheriff’s deputy stopped Horton on Julian Road and charged him with drug possession following a traffic stop. The deputy noticed Horton’s vehicle, which he found suspicious.
The officer thought Horton was intoxicated, but when tested his blood alcohol content was 0.06, a report said. The officer tested Horton’s BAC twice and both times he received a 0.06 reading. The deputy asked if Horton had taken any prescription pills that day. Horton said he had taken some Xanax he was prescribed. Horton could not produce a prescription, the report said. Upon searching, the officer found one Xanax pill inside Horton’s front pocket. Another Xanax was found in the front driver’s seat along with a plastic straw cut in half. Horton was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and simple possession of a schedule IV controlled substance. The officer told Horton he would not be allowed to drive. Horton was released after calling a taxi.
Horton has previously been convicted of communicating threats and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, both misdemeanors.