Jason Biddle

Cheri Roberson

     Two persons were arrested this afternoon on charges related to an attempt to smuggle controlled substances into the Baxter County Detention Center.

     Earlier this week, the Sheriff’s Office received intelligence information indicating that drugs and contraband would be dropped at a location in Mountain Home where jail inmates would be taken to perform community service type work.  Jail staff later found recorded calls between a jail inmate and a female on the outside that spoke of the plans to drop the contraband at the work site.

     On October 9^th, surveillance video cameras were set up by the Sheriff’s Office at the anticipated drop location.  This morning, investigators went to the location and found three separate packages that had been concealed in rubber gloves and hidden behind shelving outside of the work location.  At approximately 11:35 AM today, the jail inmate work crew of three inmates arrived at the work location.  Jail Inmate JASON BIDDLE was observed to reach down and pick up the concealed items and place them in his jacket.  At this point, investigators approached BIDDLE and placed him under arrest.

     Investigators recovered the three packages.  They were found to contain tobacco, a lighter, approximately 2 grams of marijuana, and five Diazepam pills. 

     Following the arrest of JASON BIDDLE, investigators located the female who made the drop on camera, who was identified as CHERI ROBERSON. 

     CHERI ROBERSON, 41 years old of rural Mountain Home, and Jail inmate JASON MICHAEL BIDDLE, 28 years old of rural Mountain Home, who was already incarcerated on a parole violation, are facing additional charges of:

Furnishing Prohibited Articles – Class B Felony
Unlawful Use of Communication Device – Class C Felony
Possession of Controlled Substance (Marijuan) – Class A Misdemeanor
Possession of Controlled Substance (Diazepam) – Class A Misdemeanor

     Bond on these new charges is $25,000 each, and both will appear in Circuit Court to answer later this month.  BIDDLE also remains in custody without bond on the prior parole violation.

     Agencies involved in the investigation and arrests are the Sheriff’s Office, 14^th Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Mountain Home Police.

/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff