Morganton man arrested on felony possession charges

A Morganton man was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly tossing an orange pill bottle filled with eight baggies of methamphetamine from his car before a traffic stop.

After pulling Michael Dale Hembree, 53, over for a traffic stop, Morganton Department of Public Safety officers found that Hembree was driving with his license revoked. When he denied throwing anything from the vehicle, a K-9 unit, Tigo, alerted authorities to the presence of the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle.

The officers recovered the pill bottle from where it was discarded, discovering more than 12 grams of methamphetamine spread between the eight baggies, according to court documents.

They arrested Hembree and transported him to the Burke County Magistrate, who charged him with three felonies – possession with intent to sell or deliver methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, obstructing justice – and two misdemeanors – possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while his license was revoked.

He received a $50,000 secured bond and his first appearance in court was on Thursday. The court appointed Victor Yamouti as his lawyer.

Hembree’s next court appearance is Feb. 12.

—JC