Cocaine nabbed in Slater arrest

A Slater man was arrested and charged over the weekend with possession of crack cocaine, a class C felony.

Sheriff Wally George reported that Kevin V. Conway, 47, was stopped by officers with the Saline County Sheriff's Department and Slater Police Department while driving a 1994 Buick on Jefferson Street in Slater Saturday.

Previously, two controlled purchases of crack cocaine had been made by confidential informants with Conway as the seller, according to a press release from George.

During the stop of Conway, George reported that "small white rocks" were found "in between the cushions of the leather driver seat, where Mr. Conway had been seated." A sample field tested positive for cocaine and the report also stated that similar rocks were found in the driver's seat of Conway's other vehicle, also field testing positive for cocaine.

Executing a search warrant at Conway's residence, officials reported finding a fire safe in a closet containing almost $5,000 in U.S. currency along with a set of digital scales. Two knives found in a bedroom were also "found to have a white powdery residue on the blades," which field tested positive for the presence of cocaine.

Conway was arraigned Saturday by Judge Tut Bellamy in Saline County Associate Circuit Court Division 4, with his bail set at $15,000, cash only.

He remained in the Saline County Jail Monday.

Contact Mark Lile at

marshallbusiness@socket.net