The Garland County Sheriff’s Office reports that deputies responded to 148 Holly Oak Lane Friday afternoon to assist parole and probation officers who reportedly had two subjects, a father and son, in custody due to guns and drugs being found at their residence. The report stated that probation officers were doing a home visit when the guns and drugs were allegedly located inside the residence. Reportedly, one of the officers had ask one of the men if he had any guns or drugs on the premises and was taken to a bedroom where seven shotguns and rifles were located along with a small plastic baggy containing a white powdery substance which later field tested positive for the presumptive identification of methamphetamines. The man, identified as Westley J. Ham was taken into custody. Meanwhile, Westley Ham’s father, Walter Ham, was reportedly asked by officers if there was anything else in the house that they should know about. The elder Ham allegedly told officers that he had some marijuana in his gun safe. With his permission, officers opened the safe and located a gallon zip lock bag containing approximately 7.8 ounces of marijuana along with several rifles and a pistol. According to the police report, both the father and son are convicted felons. Both the men were charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, a class “Y” felony and possession of firearms by certain persons, a class “B” felony. Westley Ham was also charged with possession of a controlled substance, meth, a class “C” felony with Walter Hamm charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, marijuana, also a class “C” felony. A court date is scheduled for March 30th in Hot Springs District Court.
#1 by alicia george on March 9, 2010 - 7:58 am
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There are always 2 sides to every story. This was not a routine bust by the sheriffs office. There were a parole officer , probation officer and FBI involved in this bust. As anyone would know, the FBI doesn’t get involved in a routine checks from a probation officer to someone on probation. There seems to be a bigger story to this when the FBI are involved. Also the felon Walter Ham had a felony from 1965 when he was 20. He is 65 now and has had a clean slate since. So the question remains, Why was the FBI involved in a small town “Bust”? Who were they really after and why would the probation officer need an FBI agent to attend this routine check? And who was on parole? Neither subject was out on parole.