BLUEFIELD, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A routine traffic stop Sunday afternoon in Bluefield resulted in the arrest of two people on drug and child neglect charges after officers discovered suspected heroin, marijuana, and improperly secured children inside the vehicle.
According to the Bluefield Police Department, Patrolman R.L. Hamm stopped a gold SUV around 2:10 p.m. on August 10, 2025, after it exited the Dollar General parking lot on Bluefield Avenue without stopping. The driver, Kayla Clower, and passenger, Justin Dube, both told officers their driver’s licenses were suspended. Two young children were in the back seat.
Patrolman Beggs and K9 Maverick arrived on scene, and the dog alerted to the odor of narcotics. A search of the vehicle turned up a THC vape pen belonging to Dube and a bag containing a light brown powder suspected to be heroin or fentanyl inside Clower’s purse. Both Clower and Dube admitted it was likely heroin.
Officers also found pieces of aluminum foil with burnt residue on both suspects, which police say is commonly used to smoke heroin or fentanyl.
Further inspection revealed neither child’s car seat was properly secured, prompting child neglect charges for both adults.
Clower was charged with child neglect creating a substantial risk of injury or death, unlawful possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, and driving on a suspended license. Dube was charged with child neglect, unlawful possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a Schedule II controlled substance.
