Mayfield arrested on meth possession charges

Mayfield arrested on meth possession charges

Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(November 2, 2011)

Suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield, who is suing NASCAR over a failed drug test, was arrested on a felony charge of possession of methamphetamine Tuesday after being found with 1.5 grams of what was believed to be the drug at his home, according to an arrest report by the Catawba County (N.C.) Sheriff's Department.

Officers from Catawba County, Lincoln County, Mooresville Police Department and Hickory Police Department went to Mayfield's home yesterday to execute a warrant to search for stolen property, Captain Joel Fish said.

"Upon the search of property, a small amount of methamphetamine, or what we believe to be methamphetamine, was seized and he was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine," Fish said.

Mayfield, arrested at 5:58 p.m. Tuesday, also was charged with possession and intent to sell marijuana and was released on $3,000 unsecured bond and had a court date scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Mayfield was found in possession of stolen goods, according to the investigation report, and the district attorney's office will determine whether to charge him.

Among the possessions at Mayfield's home were items from Red Bull Racing as well as the state of North Carolina and two other local businesses.

"We can confirm that we filed a police report for stolen property earlier this year," Red Bull Racing officials said in a statement. "We have been made aware of the Mayfield situation and are working with local authorities to gain more information."

Catawba County confiscated more than 40 firearms from Mayfield's home and are attempting to determine if any have been reported as stolen, Fish said.

Mayfield was suspended from NASCAR in May 2009 for testing positive for methamphetamines and he is suing NASCAR over the suspension, with the case currently under appeal in the federal court system.

He has said that his test was a false positive for a mixture of over-the-counter allergy medication and prescription medication for attention hyperactivity deficit disorder.

He is the only Cup driver to be suspended since the implementation of random drug testing in 2009. Mayfield has 433 career Cup starts with five Cup wins and two Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup appearances.