Arrest nets more drug charges

RUSSELLVILLE — A Russellville woman is facing more drug-related charges after being arrested and charged with drug trafficking and illegal distribution of a controlled substance just days ahead of her scheduled trial in Colbert County.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kyle Palmer said Sydney Tiamarra Sears, 30, was arrested on Tuesday related to a June 2025 drug case.

Palmer said the department conducted an undercover controlled drug buy in June and Sears allegedly purchased 22 pressed fentanyl pills and several grams of Spice (synthetic marijuana) from one of the undercover deputies.

“The buy was back then, but we developed the case in late January and arrested her on Tuesday,” Palmer said.

Sears was booked into the Franklin County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

She bonded out on Wednesday, according to jail staff.

Sears was set to appear in Colbert County Circuit Court for her trial, which was scheduled to begin on Monday. It’s unclear if Sears appeared for her trial date.

A September 2024 grand jury charged her with one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

Sears is also scheduled to appear on June 22 in Lauderdale County Circuit Court for her trial on four drug-related charges.

She was arrested on Feb. 22, 2024, and charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance following a traffic stop at the intersection of Court and Limestone streets for failing to use a traffic signal, according to a police deposition.