The arrest of a Mississippi man in Arizona sparked a search of his home in Pearl River County, leading to multiple charges being pressed against him by two agencies.

Pearl River County Sheriff David Allison said the case began on May 5, when investigators with the local agency were contacted by narcotics investigators from Ash Fork, Arizona that they had just arrested 54-year-old David Wayne Mitchell for allegedly trafficking methamphetamine through their jurisdiction.

Also arrested was Mitchell’s girlfriend, identified as 40-year-old Miranda Jane McNeely.

Allison said that Arizona-based narcotics investigators informed local law enforcement that the couple was traveling through Arizona from California when they were stopped for a routine traffic offense that occurred on Interstate 40.

During the stop, the investigators found about 20 pounds of methamphetamine in the vehicle along with a firearm and about $28,000 in cash.

Mitchell and McNeely were arrested by the Arizona-based agency for transporting dangerous drugs for sale, possession of a deadly weapon while committing a felony and other misdemeanor offenses, Allison said.

Using that information, Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department narcotics investigators obtained a search warrant for the couple’s home, located at 17 Clint Mitchell Rd., Picayune, that same day. During the subsequent search, local investigators found a number of firearms, about $4,000 in cash, a trafficking amount of methamphetamine, a distribution amount of marijuana and paraphernalia typically involved in the sale of narcotics, Allison said.

Since both suspects are still being held in Arizona, arrest warrants secured as part of the search of the couple’s home have not been served, but investigators intend to send the case to the local District Attorney’s office, Allison said.