Four arrested on drug charges in Rye

An investigation into illicit drug sales being made from a Rye, Texas, home led to four arrests on Monday, April 17, authorities say.

“The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Interdiction Unit had been receiving information in reference to a residence on CR 2701 in Rye, Texas, that was involved in suspected distribution of methamphetamine. Members of the Criminal Interdiction Unit began conducting an investigation,” said Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader in a media release.

On April 17, a deputy with the Criminal Interdiction Unit conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that had left the residence. The driver was identified as Amanda Rae Stephenson, 35, who lived at the home.

“When Stephenson was retrieving her identification, the deputy observed a package of suspected crystal meth in her wallet. Stephenson was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, a state jail felony,” the sheriff said.

A juvenile male allegedly approached the deputies and told them that Stephenson was his mother. After explaining that his next of kin was in the Livingston area and agreeing to be taken to that location, the juvenile allegedly led deputies to the home to retrieve clothing.

“When the deputies arrived at the house, they noticed a male subject, later identified as William Travis Stewart, 42, walking away in an attempt to avoid them,” the sheriff wrote. “The deputies observed Stewart remove something from his waist area and place it on the rear tire of the vehicle. The deputies located the object and it was a package of suspected crystal meth.”

The investigation then led to their main suspect, Seth Justin Snyder, 38, who was exiting the home. Another resident, Latisha Elaine Cooke, 46, allegedly the deputies to enter the residence. Inside the home, deputies reportedly observed crystal methamphetamine on a table in plain view. All three subjects were arrested.

Snyder and Cooke are charged with Manufacture and Delivery of a Controlled Substance; Stewart was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance. All four were transported to the Liberty County Jail without incident.