A Roanoke Rapids man awaiting a January disposition hearing in superior court for obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact in a second-degree murder case was charged Saturday with trafficking a Schedule V controlled substance, according to the Weldon Police Department.

According to the warrant, Patrick Lequan Banks was allegedly in possession of 760 grams — 152 dosage units — of codeine when he was stopped by Officer C.L. Foster for having fictitious tags. 

WPD Lieutenant Lloyd Melton said in a statement that the stop occurred on Highway 158 under the I-95 overpass. A probable cause search was conducted, and a 9mm handgun was found under the driver's seat.

In addition to the codeine, Foster found, according to the warrant, hashish, and rolling papers. A large amount of currency was also located. 

Melton said that Banks allegedly admitted he didn’t have a prescription for the codeine.

He was charged with possession with intent to sell and distribute a Schedule V controlled substance, trafficking a Schedule V controlled substance, fictitious plates, simple possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and carrying a concealed handgun. 

Banks remains in the Halifax County Detention Center without bond and has a July 23 district court date.

Banks is also awaiting a January disposition hearing for charges of accessory after the fact and obstruction of justice, according to court records. 

He and Demonte Saquan Johnson were charged in January 2024 in the November 2023 shooting death of a woman, which had originally been reported as a suicide.

The Roanoke Rapids Police Department said at the time of their arrests that Banks allegedly made obstructing statements about the death of Brittany Smith, who was Johnson’s girlfriend. Johnson was charged with second-degree murder. 

The RRPD said that both men allegedly claimed Smith’s death was a suicide, but a medical examiner’s report concluded it was not.

Johnson is tentatively scheduled for an August 3 trial. On May 19, his attorney withdrew due to an impasse he and his client had reached over how to handle the case, according to court records. He was assigned a public defender on June 1, court records show.