A Haywood County jury has convicted a Bryson City man, Chad Ray Lequire, on seven felony charges related to drug trafficking, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced today. Lequire, 43, will serve 15 years in state prison following the verdict.
Lequire was found guilty of trafficking fentanyl by transportation and possession, trafficking methamphetamine by transportation and possession, conspiracy to traffic both fentanyl and methamphetamine, and resisting arrest.
The charges stem from an incident on February 9, 2021, when Deputy Hayden Green pulled over a pickup truck on Champion Drive in Canton for several traffic violations. Lequire, a passenger in the vehicle, was found holding an energy drink can with a modified lid. Suspicious of the unusual container, Detective Micah Phillips ordered Lequire to hand over the can. When he refused, a struggle ensued, prompting another officer to tase Lequire. Despite this, he continued to resist until officers were able to pull him from the vehicle and subdue him.
Upon searching the can, officers discovered two plastic bags containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. Additionally, deputies found two pipes, a syringe in Lequire’s pocket, and drug-laced scales inside the vehicle.
The driver, Crystal Bell, 34, of Canton, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to drug trafficking charges and is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence.
Superior Court Judge Bradley Letts also ordered Lequire to pay $150,000 in state-mandated fines. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jeff Jones and Kate Robinette.
