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On Wednesday, Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force detectives were in pursuit of a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed headed north on Louisiana Highway 25. WPSO officials said that detectives were finally able to stop the vehicle at the intersection of Highway 25 and Louisiana Highway 438 and encountered the driver, identified as Karl L. Bickham III, 47, a resident of McKay Lane in Franklinton.

Bickham reportedly had illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia on his person, including a mixture of heroin and Neurontin, Suboxone, and a syringe. He was arrested and transported to the Washington Parish Jail where he was booked on charges of three counts of possession of illegal drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and careless operation of his vehicle.

Bickham has three previous arrests in Washington Parish. In 2006, he was arrested as a fugitive from another jurisdiction. He was arrested in 2018 for possession of stolen property and obstruction of justice. In 2019, he was arrested for contempt of court.

“I understand he was driving on Highway 25 at a very high rate of speed,” Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “That in itself is a clear danger to other motorists. Drug abuse is a dead-end street for anyone and creates only misery for both the abuser and his or her family. Once again, I congratulate our officers for getting more illegal drugs out of our community.”