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Two women face drug charges after Clay County Sheriff’s officers stopped them on Friday, Feb. 3 for allegedly driving reckless “at a high rate of speed,” according to a release from Sheriff Mark Buchanan.
The driver, Rebeka Renee Eichholtz, 27, of Hiawassee, was asked to step out of the car and in her empty seat, officers found a small baggy containing a hard substance that tested positive for 1.5 grams of cocaine, in the form of crack, Buchanan said.
A full search of the car led to charges for passenger, Jessica Marie Fernaays, 32, of New York who the sheriff said has recently been living in Hayesville.
In addition, officers Nick Queen and Justin Osborn discovered a $5 bill containing suspected powder cocaine in the passenger door handle. Buchanan said a syringe found within Fernaays’ wallet contained two dosage units of a liquid that tested positive for methamphetamine.
Eichholtz and Fernaays were arrested and taken to the Clay County Detention Center, but the incident was not over.
Because officers were concerned the women were concealing drugs on their person, both were searched by Clay County Detention Officer, Erica Portal. A small baggy was found in Fernaays’ bra. It contained 1.2 grams of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, according to Buchanan.
Fernaays was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, felony possession of methamphetamine while on prison or jail premises and felony possession of cocaine.
Eichholtz was charged with felony possession of crack cocaine.
“Crack cocaine is an illegal drug that we do not see much of as of recent,” Buchanan noted. “Both powder cocaine and crack cocaine are the same basic drug in different forms. Powder cocaine is water soluble and can be ingested into the body through contact with any wet tissue such as within the nose, mouth, veins, etc. Crack cocaine is not water soluble, will burn and when inhaled will immediately result in a powerful and oftentimes dangerous high. “