BOND HAS BEEN SET AT 100-THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH FOR THREE ASAIN MALES, ARRESTED BY ARKANSAS STATE POLICE IN POSSESSION OF MORE THAN 200-POUNDS OF HIGH GRADE MARIJUANA. THE SUSPECTS IDENTIFIED AS 50-YEAR OLD SHOBIN WU, 30-YEAR OLD JIN DENG AND 30-YEAR OLD QUN CHEN, WERE ARREST DURING A TRAFFIC STOP ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON NEAR THE 87 MIKE MARKER-EASTBOUND. STREET VALUE OF THE MARIJUANA HAS BEEN ESTIMATED AT 320-THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE THREE APPEARED WEDNESDAY BEFORE POPE COUNTY DISTRICT JUDGE DON BOURNE. A FEBRUARY 2nd PLEA AND ARRAIGNMENT DATE HAS BEEN SET IN POPE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT.
##
AFTER SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSION AND REVIEW, POPE COUNTY QUORUM COURT MEMBERS HAVE APPROVED A 2015 BUDGET. POPE COUNTY JUDGE JIM ED GIBSON SAYS THAT APPROVED OCCURRED DURING THE COURT'S DECEMBER SESSION THIS WEEK. BUDGET COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAD BEEN VISITING WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS AND REVIEWING BUDGETS SINCE OCTOBER. THAT BUDGET AMOUNTS TO APPROXIMATELY 9.16-MILLION DOLLARS IN COUNTY GENERAL AND 5.3-MILLION DOLLARS IN THE COUNTY ROAD BUDGET. GIBSON EXTENDED HIS THANKS TO THE MANY DEPARTMENT HEADS AND EMPLOYEES THAT WORK TOGETHER TO REACH THE COUNTY'S BUDGET GOALS, FOR 2014 AND 2015.
ONE AMENDMENT, THIS AT THE RECOMENDATION OF THE BUDGET COMMITTEE, WAS LOWERING FROM 6 TO 4 THE NUMBER OF NEW PATROL CARS APPROVED FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. IN OTHER MATTERS, MIKE McCOY WAS APPOINTED TO AN OPEN POSITION ON THE COUNTY'S AMBULANCE BOARD.
##
A BUSY AGENDA WILL FACE THE JOHNSON COUNTY QUORUM COURT, FOR THEIR FINAL 2014 REGULAR SESSION ON THURSDAY NIGHT. COUNTY JUDGE MIKE JACOBS SAYS THE 2015 BUDGET PROPOSAL WILL BE REVIEWED, ALONG WITH ORDINANCES INVOLVING SICK PAY, LONGEVIETY, THE DRUG COURT GRANT FUND AND THE COUNTY'S RESCUE TEAM. A RESOLUTION, INVOLVING A CONTRACT OF OBLIGATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIROMENTAL QUALITY WILL ALSO BE ADDRESS. THURSDAY'S SESSION WILL GET UNDERWAY AT 6 P/M IN THE CLARKSVILLE COURTHOUSE CHAMBERS.
ALSO ON THURSDAY'S MEETING AGENDA... A 6:30 SESSION OF THE PLAINVIEW CITY COUNCIL, IN THEIR CITY HALL AND THE ATKINS HOUSING AUTHORITY AT 7 P/M.
##
