4th person arrested for contraband
Published 8:37 am Thursday, December 7, 2017
- Sheriff Dennis Meeks escorts David Rabren into the county jail. Courtesy photo
Suspect offered cash to get his wife’s purse from jail as deputies, marshals were looking for him
A mix of rain and snow is possible tonight and into tomorrow morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters say that the threat is mainly along and north of the I-65 corridor, but could occur as far south as southern Mobile County to near Andalusia.
Accumulation is not expected.
NWS officials say the coldest temperatures of the season so far are expected Friday night and Saturday.
Lows Friday night will be in the mid-to-upper 20s for much of the area except for near freezing close to the coast.
Saturday night will be similar.
These conditions could bring potential impacts to agriculture and nurseries.
Thursday night’s low is 37; Friday’s high is 44 and the low is 27; Saturday the high is 53 and low is 29.
WSFA Meterologist Eric Snitil said they are forecasting the potential for wet snow mixes with cold rain.
“Time is our best friend when it comes to snow potential,” he said. “The closer you are to storm time, the more confident you become in a given forecast.”
WSFA’s forecast shows that Covington County has a very low chance, but not impossible chance of snow, while a small portion of northern Covington County is in the 50-50 chance of snow mixed with rain.
Weather Channel’s forecast for Friday calls for rain early and that snow may mix in.
The man on the run from local law enforcement and US Marshals was captured Wednesday afternoon in Andalusia.
Sheriff Dennis Meeks said that around 2:30 p.m., agents with the 22nd Judicial Drug Task Force conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in Andalusia that was being driven by David Rabren.
Rabren had an outstanding warrant for promoting prison contraband first degree.
Rabren, his wife, former attorney Wanda Rabren, their son, Jacob Aries Rabren, and Gary Carpenter Little, were charged for their parts in smuggling illegal prison contraband into the Covington County Jail in recent weeks.
Meeks announced Tuesday that the investigation was a joint operation of the DTF, Covington County Corrections Officers and the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force.
Little and Jacob Rabren were charged with promoting prison contraband as well, while Wanda Rabren was charged with promoting prison contraband first degree and unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
Law enforcement officials said that the four were smuggling Suboxone into the jail. Suboxone contains a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. It is used to treat narcotic, and specifically opiate, addiction, but some people become high off of the strips.
Law enforcement officials booked David Rabren into the CCJ and he was held on a $50,000 bond.
Meeks said he would like to thank all agencies and the public who were involved in the search for David Rabren.
Employees of a business near the jail told The Star-News Wednesday that David Rabren approached them on Tuesday and offered cash if they would go and get his wife’s purse and personal belongings from the jail. He claimed that he had driven from Opelika to pick up the belongings and left his identification at home. They declined to help him.
Meeks said that corrections officers have been working diligently to fight the contraband problem in the jail.
“We are aggressively working to keep any and all contraband from coming in the jail,” he said. “We will not tolerate contraband in our jail.”
Meeks said those who are caught will be prosecuted.