Alva Review-Courier -

Officers with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and the Alfalfa County Sheriff’s Office were conducting a drug interdiction on Highway 11 on March 23. They were about six miles east of the junction with Highway 8 in Alfalfa County when they saw a white vehicle driving west at a slow rate of speed. It was almost struck by a truck from the rear due to the slow speed.

According to court documents, after the vehicle passed, the officers clocked it going 32 mph in a 65 mph zone. Jeramy Rogers of the Dewey County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop to see if there was a problem. He spoke with the driver, Katherine Southard and ran her driver’s license.

Officer Steven Schoffstall of the Mooreland Police Department arrived with his K9, getting a positive alert on the vehicle. A search revealed 31 yellow pills in a wallet belonging to the backseat passenger, Jessica Hoss. She told officers she was holding the pills for Southard who said she had a prescription for the pills, identified as Naloxone hydrochloride, a Schedule 4 controlled dangerous substance.

According to the affidavit on file, Southard was asked why she would give her pills to Hoss, and she said she kept running out early and wanted Hoss to hold them in case she ran out. According to the affidavit, Hoss told the officers she paid for the prescription and had given Southard $20 in gas and was given a handful of pills to hold as collateral.

Hoss was asked if she had ever taken any of the pills, and she said yes but they made her sick so she was just holding them and wasn’t going to do anything with them like sell them. Both Southard and Hoss were arrested.

Katherine M. Southard, 44, of Jet is charged with distribution of controlled dangerous substance – including possession with intent to distribute, a felony. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for two years to life or a fine of up to $20,000, or both.

Jessica Ann Hoss, 43, of Jet is charged with possession of controlled dangerous substance, a misdemeanor. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year and by a fine not exceeding $1,000.