H.E.A.T. Unit Checking Station Leads to Drug Seizure and Multi-Charge Arrest of Fair Bluff Man

FAIR BLUFF, NC — What began as a routine traffic checkpoint in Cerro Gordo on Tuesday resulted in a major drug seizure and a extensive list of felony, misdemeanor, and traffic charges against a Fair Bluff driver.

According to a press release from Sheriff W.A. Rogers, deputies with the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Heavy Enforcement Action Team (H.E.A.T.) were conducting a checking station near the intersection of Rough and Ready Road and Hinsons Crossroads when they spotted a dark-colored Ford Escape stop abruptly in the roadway before reaching the officers.

When deputies approached the driver, identified as 57-year-old Robert Harold Tyler of Fair Bluff, they detected an odor of alcohol. Tyler informed officers he did not have his identification with him and admitted to drinking earlier that evening.

Investigators searching the immediate area where Tyler had stopped his vehicle located a hat, alongside two clear plastic bags containing a white substance, a cut straw, and a spoon with white residue thrown onto the roadway. Deputies also observed a white powder residue around Tyler’s nostril. Field testing on the substances recovered from the roadside and Tyler verified the presence of cocaine.

When officers attempted to take Tyler into custody, he allegedly became irate and physically fought back before deputies successfully restrained him. Authorities also discovered his vehicle was displaying a fictitious temporary registration plate.

Tyler was transported to the Columbus County Detention Center, where he was processed on felony charges of possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for controlled substances, altering/destroying criminal evidence, and littering hazardous waste. He also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting a public officer, driving while impaired (DWI), driving while license revoked, driving without registration, misdemeanor littering, and a citation for no liability insurance.

Tyler was placed under a $76,200 secured bond.

The Sheriff’s Office noted that its H.E.A.T. Unit routinely conducts proactive enforcement checkpoints across Columbus County to target impaired drivers and remove illegal narcotics from local communities.

All individuals listed are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Charges and case statuses may change as investigations and court proceedings continue.