Two charged with crack possession after leaving Rock Hill motel

Two men were jailed on drug charges connected to separate incidents after leaving the same Rock Hill motel on Monday, according to local police.

A Rock Hill officer on patrol on Riverview Road around8 p.m. saw a man ride his bicycle behind the Bestway Inn and enter a room at the motel, according to a police report. The report notes the area “is known to be a high-drug area.”

The suspect left the motel about 10 minutes later and rode his bike toward Eden Terrace, police said. Officers spoke with the suspect, who gave them permission to search him. During the search, police found a cigarette box in the suspect’s shorts pocket that contained two rocks hidden under the cigarettes, the report states. Police allege the substance appeared to be crack cocaine.

The suspect, Dustin Wayne McDonald, age 24, of Cel River Road, initially told officers he was unaware the crack was in the box, then admitted that he bought the crack at the motel, the report states.

Police records show McDonald was charged with possession of crack and taken to Rock Hill city jail, where he remained Tuesday under $5,500 bond.

Hours after McDonald’s arrest, officers on patrol saw a man walk up to a room at the Bestway Inn and only stay for a few minutes, another police report states. The suspect got into a Ford Explorer and drove toward Cherry Road. Officers pulled the vehicle over for an equipment violation, according to the report.

The driver appeared to be nervous when asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, police said. The passenger, John Thomas Outen, age 34, of Rock Hill, was asked to step out of the vehicle and he consented to a search, records show.

Officers searching Outen found a bag containing about .40 grams of crack in the front passenger door pocket, police said. Outen was charged with possession of crack, and officers learned he was also wanted by the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, the report states.

Outen was taken to Rock Hill city jail, where he remained Tuesday under $6,000 bond, police records show.

A Rock Hill Police spokesman said Tuesday investigators are trying to determine the alleged source of the drugs at the motel.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Two charged with crack possession after leaving Rock Hill motel."