Crime & Safety
Rockingham County, NC Drug Bust: Woman Arrested After K-9 Search
EDEN, NC — A routine patrol in Rockingham County turned into a felony drug arrest Thursday, Nov. 5, after deputies stopped a vehicle displaying a reported lost or stolen North Carolina registration pl
By Avery Collins · 2026-11-06T17:30:49.573Z
EDEN, NC — A routine patrol in Rockingham County turned into a felony drug arrest Thursday, Nov. 5, after deputies stopped a vehicle displaying a reported lost or stolen North Carolina registration plate and discovered suspected methamphetamine during their investigation.
According to the Rockingham County Sheriff 's Office, Deputy J. Pulliam was patrolling near Riverside Circle in Eden around 9:41 a.m. when he noticed a vehicle displaying the flagged registration plate.
Pulliam stopped the vehicle in the parking lot of the Hilltop store and began investigating with assistance from Deputy Corporal D. Guerra.
K 9 Olga Assists in Drug Investigation During the traffic stop, deputies deployed K 9 Olga to conduct a narcotics sniff around the vehicle.
Following the investigation, authorities reported that a passenger, identified as Heather Marie Ward, 31 , was allegedly found in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Ward was arrested and taken before a magistrate.
The sheriff's office said Ward was issued no bond and transported to the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office detention facility.
Woman Faces Felony Drug Charge Authorities announced that Ward faces two charges:
Felony possession of a controlled substance methamphetamine Possession of drug paraphernalia Officials did not specify the quantity of methamphetamine allegedly recovered or announce additional arrests connected to the traffic stop.
Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page's office credited the deputies and investigators involved in the operation, including Deputy Pulliam, Corporal Guerra, Detective N. Clifton, Deputy A. Peters, Deputy D. Hayes and K 9 Olga.
The sheriff's office emphasized its continuing efforts to remove illegal narcotics from communities throughout Rockingham County.
The incident began as a registration related traffic stop before developing into a narcotics investigation.
Authorities have not released additional information about the vehicle's driver or any separate charges involving the reported lost or stolen registration plate.
The charges against Ward remain allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.