An Adams County man was arrested last week in Leesburg after making an alleged bulk sale of illegal narcotics. William D. McBride, III, age 23, of Seaman, was arraigned on Nov. 5 in the Hillsboro Municipal Court for trafficking in drugs, a third degree felony.
The charge was the result of an internal investigation conducted by Candle-Lite, a manufacturing facility in Leesburg, into allegations of employees selling illegal narcotics on the grounds. The Highland County Sheriff's Office was contacted and detectives from the sheriff's office, along with the U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force initiated an investigation.
During the early morning hours of Nov. 4, an undercover purchase of what was presented to be Oxycontin and Percoset was allegedly made from McBride in the Candle-Lite parking lot.
McBride was taken into custody without incident after the sale was made. McBride was found to be employed at Candle-Lite through a temporary service.
According to a spokesman from the HCSO, detectives believe the pills were actually aspirin and cetirizine hydrochloride, an antihistamine with the brand name of Zyrtec. The pills have been sent to a lab for identification. Although the pills may not be narcotics, by law, the charges will not be reduced because the pills were presented as narcotics, the spokesman said. The alleged sale was more than 400 pills, which is considered a bulk amount.
During the arraignment, bond for McBride was set at $10,000, and Attorney David Pence was appointed to the case. A preliminary hearing was set for Nov. 12.
