According to a statement from Ellis County and District Attorney Lindy Beaty, the case began with a traffic stop on August 14, 2025. A sheriff’s deputy noticed a vehicle with a defective headlamp and attempted to pull it over.

The deputy testified that the driver did not stop immediately and threw an object out of the driver’s-side window before pulling over. A second deputy arrived and recovered a small cigarette box containing methamphetamine from the road.

The first deputy identified the box as the object he had seen thrown from the vehicle. The driver was then arrested.

A central issue at trial was whether the drugs recovered from the road could be linked to the defendant. The defense argued that the recovery location did not match where the first deputy’s recorded communication with dispatch placed the thrown object, according to the DA’s statement.

The jury returned not-guilty verdicts on both charges. The DA’s office withheld the defendant’s name and photo, saying the acquittal makes the person eligible to have the case records expunged.