Woman busted for heroin and meth after driving without headlights illuminated

Contributed Photo/Courtesy GCSO: Brittany Matthews, 28, was booked into the jail on drug charges after being pulled over for driving in the dark without her vehicle’s headlights activated.

Also faces possible DUI charges

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

THATCHER – Brittany Nichole Matthews, 28, of Safford, was arrested Tuesday, March 19, and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on charges of possession of narcotic and dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. An additional charge of DUI is pending blood test analysis and review by the Graham County Attorney’s Office. 

According to a Safford Police report, Matthews was westbound on U.S. Highway 70 at about 4:04 a.m. without her vehicle’s headlights activated. The officer followed Matthews as she pulled onto Bauer Avenue in Thatcher and then initiated a traffic stop. 

During the officer’s interaction with Matthews, he believed her to be driving while impaired and requested she perform a sobriety field test. During the test, Matthews displayed several signs of impairment and failed multiple aspects of the test, according to the report. 

The officer then walked back to the vehicle to inform the passenger he did not feel comfortable with Matthews driving when he noticed ripped grocery bag containing methamphetamine sitting in the driver’s seat. 

The passenger denied any knowledge of the drug and was later released from the scene. 

During an additional search of the vehicle, an officer located a locked box inside Matthew’s purse with “BRIII” handwritten on it. The officer located keys attached to a lanyard in the purse as well and used the keys to open the box. 

Inside the box, the officer located a small amount of heroin in a baggie along with a small amount of marijuana in another baggie and multiple pieces of drug paraphernalia, including a glass pipe with meth residue, cut plastic straw, two syringes, and a green elastic cord. Another glass pipe with meth residue was located underneath the driver’s seat.    

Matthews allegedly said the last time she used meth was in 2016 but admitted to recently using marijuana. After initially denying the box was hers, she admitted the keys were hers and requested the officer return the keys to her so she could give them to a family member. 

Matthews was then taken to the Safford Police Department, where her blood was taken for DUI testing purposes. Afterward, she was booked into the jail on her drug charges.