Two face theft, drug charges; meth removed from body cavity

James Townsend, 22, of Taft, Tennessee, is charged with second-degree theft and possession of a controlled substance and is being held in the Limestone County Jail with bail set at $5,000, authorities said, and Amberley Brown, 28, of Toney, is charged with second-degree theft, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia and is being held at the jail with bail set at $6,000.

A man reported to the Sheriff’s Office Wednesday morning that he arrived at his residence to find an unidentified male and female in his shop. The man said that when he approached, the intruders said his nephew gave them permission to look at a vehicle they were interested in buying, the office said.

When the man told them he had no nephew, they left in a Pontiac Firebird and it was discovered that several parts and tools had been taken from the property and an attempt was made to remove a catalytic converter from a vehicle there, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Later in the day, Limestone County authorities spotted a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle in the theft report and initiated a traffic stop.

According to authorities, the driver’s side window was not operational, and when the door had to be opened for the deputy to communicate with the driver, the deputy saw drug paraphernalia and a small container of methamphetamine between the seat and the door.

The Sheriff’s Office said that Brown, realizing that a body scanner would be used during booking, admitted she had a bag of methamphetamine hidden in a body cavity, and she was transported to Athens-Limestone Hospital, where medical personnel removed about 8 grams of meth.