Couple charged in Waimea drug bust

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Tribune-Herald — A West Hawaii man and woman have been charged with numerous drug offenses after their arrest in Waimea last week.

Tribune-Herald — A West Hawaii man and woman have been charged with numerous drug offenses after their arrest in Waimea last week.

According to Big Island police, on Thursday, Jan. 17, South Kohala officers responded to a disturbance at a motel on Lindsey Road in Waimea.

Police found 20-year-old Robert Reed, who has no permanent address, unresponsive and in a room with 22-year-old Jessie Bitton of Kailua-Kona. Narcotics were visible in the room, police said.

Reed was taken to North Hawaii Community Hospital, where he was treated and later released.

During the execution of a search warrant, Vice Section officers recovered 166.5 grams of cocaine, 7 ounces of marijuana, paraphernalia associated with the use and distribution of illegal drugs, and $8,900 in cash from the motel room, as well as a small quantity of cocaine residue and 12.1 grams of marijuana from Reed’s vehicle.

Reed and Bitton were arrested Thursday. On Friday, they were each charged with 10 counts of promoting a dangerous drug, six counts of promoting a detrimental drug, seven counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and one count of promoting a controlled substance near a school. Their bail was set at $313,000 each.

They were held at the Kona police cellblock pending their initial court appearance Tuesday (January 22).