CATAWEBA COUNTY, N.C. — A Conover man faces nearly a decade behind bars after a Catawba County jury found him guilty of drug crimes and admitted his status as a repeat felon.
On Wednesday, jurors found 40-year-old Derrick Shay Bishop guilty of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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In September, a Conover Police Department officer was called to a convenience store for an unconscious, suspicious person parked at a gas pump.
While speaking to Bishop at the scene, the officer noticed digital scales with a white, crystal-like substance in the vehicle’s passenger seat.
Bishop later told law enforcement he had used Suboxone earlier that day and was on probation out of Caldwell County.
During the search of Bishop, police found a pill bottle in his pants pocket that had methamphetamine, alprazolam, and suboxone, along with plastic bags.
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