Seneca Man arrested for Trafficking in Methamphetamine

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Seneca man Thursday on a charge of trafficking in methamphetamine. 29-year-old Matthew Travis Lear of Frenge Branch Road was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center. He was also issued a traffic ticket on a charge of driving under suspension. Thursday afternoon, a deputy from the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office on routine patrol in the Salem area observed a vehicle with a male driver and female passenger that had an expired tag on Crestwood Drive. The vehicle was stopped at a business location on East Main Street in Salem. The deputy spoke with the driver, identified as Lear, who initiated a short foot pursuit with deputies but was taken into custody without incident. A search of Lear produced a quantity of methamphetamine. Deputies were also able to confirm that Lear’s license had been suspended. Deputies also made contact with the female passenger, identified as 32-year-old Christina Ann Henson of Westminster, who gave deputies consent to look through her wallet and purse, whereupon deputies located a quantity of narcotics. Henson was also booked into the Oconee County Detention Center. She has been charged with one count each of possession of methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance. The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing their investigation. Lear was given a $2,100 surety bond on the driving under suspension charge. Both Lear and Henson will have bond hearings later on the drug charges.