UPDATE on Case: Driver found slumped over behind the wheel is charged with dealing heroin

A woman accused of dealing heroin who was found slumped over in the driver’s seat of a vehicle sitting in the middle of the county road at the entrance to Lawrence Hollow was in Greene Superior Court last Friday and in Greene Circuit Court today in two different cases. Her bond has been set.

This is an update on Phyllis Jean Merriman 53, of rural Bloomfield, who was arrested on Saturday, February 15.

The original story about Merriman that was posted on greenestreets.com on Monday, February 17, is re-posted below this update.

In the case that was filed as a result of her latest arrest, Merriman was in Greene Superior Court, with Judge Dena Martin presiding, last Thursday, February 20. Judge Martin set Merriman’s bond at $100,000 with ten percent cash allowed. A public defender was appointed to represent Merriman.

Last Friday, the defense filed a motion to reduce Merriman’s bond. Motion denied.

In addition, as noted in the original story, Merriman was convicted of dealing in a narcotic drug in May of 2017 in Greene Circuit Court. Since then, she served some time but part of her sentence was suspended.

In this earlier case, since her latest arrest, the Greene County Probation Department filed a motion to revoke the suspended sentence. A warrant was issued for her arrest but since she was already in custody, the warrant was served to her in jail.

Early this morning, Wednesday, February 26, an initial hearing was conducted on the petition to revoke in Greene Circuit with Judge Erik Allen presiding. Her bond in this case was set at $20,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed.

Adding both cases together, it would take $12,000 cash for Merriman to bond out of jail.

As of late today, she remains in the Greene County Jail.

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 Story posted on February 17:

Driver found slumped over behind the wheel is charged with dealing heroin        

A woman accused of dealing heroin was found slumped over in the driver’s seat of a vehicle sitting in the middle of the county road at the entrance to Lawrence Hollow around 1 a.m. Saturday.

Phyllis Jean Merriman

Phyllis Jean Merriman, 53, of rural Bloomfield, was arrested by Sgt. Bobby Pierce of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department early Saturday, February 15.

Sgt. Pierce responded after dispatch received a call about a vehicle sitting in the middle of the road for over an hour on Lawrence Hollow Drive just off State Road 445. The caller said the lights were on inside the vehicle and someone was inside but not moving.

When Sgt. Pierce arrived, he found a maroon Ford Taurus registered to Merriman in the center of the road. He said Merriman was slumped over in the driver’s seat. The vehicle was in drive with Merriman’s foot on the brake. He woke her up and asked her to put the vehicle in park. She struggled to do that and seemed lethargic.

Sgt. Pierce requested an ambulance and GCSD Deputy Zach Goad also arrived to assist. Personnel from the Greene County Ambulance Service arrived, talked to Merriman and checked her vital signs. She declined further medical attention, signed a release and was cleared by the EMTs.

After this, Sgt. Pierce said she was unable to stay awake, was very unsteady on her feet and kept falling asleep or falling forward. At first, she denied taking any illegal or prescription drugs but she failed field sobriety testing and was transported to the sheriff’s department.

Before transport, she was found to have an off-white powder substance in plastic bags tucked in a wallet she had been clutching in her hand. Sgt. Pierce said he believed the substance was heroin and when he asked Merriman if it was heroin, she allegedly said yes, but it wasn’t hers, she had bought it for someone else.

When he asked her if she was under the influence of heroin, she allegedly admitted, “I did a line, just a little line.” She denied that she was dealing and said she was just transporting it. Paraphernalia was found in Merriman’s purse and she allegedly admitted she had crystal methamphetamine hidden inside the wallet and told deputies where to find it.

Once at the jail, Merriman reportedly failed field sobriety testing again and refused a chemical test. A search warrant was approved and ambulance personnel completed a blood draw at the jail. Results are pending.

Sgt. Pierce reported Merriman was convicted of dealing in a narcotic drug in May of 2017 in Greene County.

He also reported the amount of the substance believed to be heroin that was seized was 4.86 grams.

Merriman was booked into the Greene County Jail around 4:30 a.m. She was being held without bond pending her appearance in Greene Superior Court for an initial hearing.

The preliminary charges filed against Merriman include:

• Dealing in heroin, between one and five grams with a prior conviction, a Level 3 felony,

• Possession of heroin, a Level 5 felony,

• Possession of methamphetamine, amount less than five grams, a Level 5 felony,

• Operating a vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance in person’s body, Class C misdemeanor, and

• Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.