A 63-year-old man was arrested Thursday following a drug investigation conducted by the 16th Judicial District Drug Task Force and the Independence County Sheriff’s Department.
According to court information, James Robert Butler Jr., also known as “Hillbilly,” was taken into custody on June 19, 2025. He faces two felony counts of delivery of a controlled substance— one involving crystal methamphetamine and the other fentanyl. Butler’s bond was set at $20,000.
Above: James Robert Butler Jr. / Image: Independence County Sheriff’s Office
The charges stem from an undercover operation in 2024, when authorities received information that Butler was allegedly distributing meth and fentanyl from his residence on Oak Bluff Road.
The court info said investigators utilized a confidential informant who purchased less than two grams of methamphetamine and less than a gram of fentanyl from Butler during a monitored operation.
The transaction was recorded on audio and video, and the substances tested positive in the field for methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The evidence was secured and is pending further analysis at the Arkansas State Crime Lab.
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