Falls County deputies arrest two for possession during search

Two people were arrested following the search of a home on the 200 block of Perry Street in Marlin.

On Friday, Jan. 31, just before the noon hour, deputies from the Falls County Sheriff’s Department approached the home to serve an arrest warrant. They were told that the individual they were looking for was not there, but when the door opened, officers were greeted with the smell of marijuana.

“Deputies could see inside and saw a small infant laying on the couch,” Falls County Sheriff Ricky Scaman said. “They were concerned about the infant’s safety.”

There was visible smoke emitting from the threshold, but the individual who opened the door maintained that there was none on the premises when questioned.

“She denied any marijuana use or marijuana presence,” Scaman said.

A search warrant was obtained for the residence and immediately acted on.

Both Jamia Williams (above, left) and Janice Stricklin(below, right) were arrested for possession of marijuana less than two ounces.

Stricklin was also charged with evidence tampering/attempting to fabricate evidence, as he flushed some of the product and threw ‘several bags’ of marijuana out the back window.

Child Protective Services was called out to help.

“I think they did an emergency removal and turned them over to their grandparents,” Scaman said.

The exact amount of marijuana recovered was not released, but officers seized over $600 in cash as well.

Sheriff Scaman is proud of the keen observation skills utilized by the deputies throughout this situation.

“That was pretty sharp of them to catch onto it and take care of business like that,” he said, smiling. “We’re gonna continue to fight the battle of illegal drug activity in Falls County.”