On February 25th, 2025, Agents with the Morgan County Sheriff's Drug Enforcement Unit initiated a traffic stop during an ongoing operation to address the flow of Fentanyl and other illegal narcotics. The vehicle was stopped near I65 and Main St in Hartselle. During the course of the traffic stop, Agents located a large quantity of a substance that tested positive as Fentanyl.

Sheriff Drug Agents placed John Lewis Patterson, 44 of McCalla, AL, under arrest for:

• 13A-12-231 Dangerous Drug Trafficking - Fentanyl
• 13A-12-212 Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance
• 13A-12-260 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Patterson was transported to and booked in the Morgan County Jail. Bond $301,300.00.

Arrests are public information. Any indication of an individual's arrest does not imply they have been convicted of a crime. All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.