Notebook: Mayfield indicted on drug charge

Notebook: Mayfield indicted on drug charge

 

Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

(November 8, 2011)

 

Suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield was indicted by a North Carolina grand jury on drug possession charges Monday stemming from a Nov. 1 raid on his home and property in North Carolina.

 

The indictment, reported by The Associated Press, was expected and shows the intent of the district attorney to prosecute the case.

 

If found guilty of possession of methamphetamine, Mayfield could serve three to 10 months in jail.

 

Mayfield, who through his attorney has denied any knowledge of having methamphetamine on his property, is scheduled to be in court next Monday and still faces the possibility of more significant charges.

 

Acting on a tip from a police source, four law enforcement agencies searched Mayfield’s home and other dwellings on his 388-acre property Nov. 1. According to the warrant and seizure report, in addition to the 1.5 grams of methamphetamine found was approximately $100,000 in goods that had been reported stolen.

 

According to the police affidavit that was part of the search warrant, when asked why Mayfield would deal in stolen property, “the source advised that Mayfield is a consistent user of methamphetamine and often consumes up to an ounce a day of that substance.

 

“The sources alleges to have personally witnessed Mayfield purchase and consume methamphetamine over 500 separate times.”

 

Mayfield's attorney said in the statement last week that the police source is unreliable.

 

“This search was prompted by what the evidence will show were baseless allegations by an unreliable source,” the statement said. “Mr. Mayfield and his attorneys are cooperating with the authorities and they look forward to this matter being resolved quickly."

 

Mayfield, who has not raced since his May 2009 suspension that NASCAR says was for a positive drug test for methamphetamine, also faces significant financial issues.

 

According to court judgments against him and online property tax reports, he owes approximately $80,000 in property taxes, $65,000 in North Carolina state taxes, $1.35 million to a bank after defaulting on a loan, and $555,000 to credit card companies, surveying companies and in legal fess.

 

 

Rick Hendrick released from hospital

 

Rick Hendrick was released Monday afternoon from a hospital in North Carolina after a six-day stay following a crash landing of his plane in Key West, Fla.

 

The Hendrick Motorsports owner has four broken ribs and a broken clavicle from the Oct. 31 accident, which occurred when the brakes failed on the team’s plane. The plane crossed a 600-foot overrun, impacted the far side of a ditch, crossed a dirt road, cleared another ditch and came to a stop 820 feet from the departure end of the runway.

 

Hendrick’s wife, Linda, was treated for minor cuts and bruises. Neither pilot was injured.

 

Hendrick returned to North Carolina the day after the accident and was admitted to a local hospital because of discomfort from the injuries. He was released Monday, a Hendrick Motorsports spokesman said.

 

The plane, co-owned by Hendrick and five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, sustained substantial damage. It was the plane that Johnson typically takes to and from the racetrack during Cup weekends.