ASHEBORO, N.C. — A man was arrested after officers who stopped to help him push his disabled vehicle discovered he was impaired and found methamphetamine inside.
On Oct. 14, 2021, a Randolph County Sheriff’s deputy and an SBI agent stopped to assist a driver whose car had broken down on McDowell Road near the Sheriff’s Office. As they helped push the vehicle into a nearby parking lot, the officers noticed signs the driver was under the influence.
The driver was identified as Ricardo Palacios. He had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a resisting a public officer charge and was placed under arrest.
A search of the vehicle revealed a trafficking amount of methamphetamine. Palacios was transported to the Randolph County Jail.
He was charged by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol with driving while impaired and by the Sheriff’s Office with two counts of felony trafficking methamphetamine and felony maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances.
Palacios also was served with his outstanding arrest warrant.
He is being held on a $250,000 secured bond. Electronic house arrest is required if he is released. A first appearance was scheduled for Oct. 26, 2021, in Randolph County District Court.
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