Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Polk arrests 2 men for trafficking methamphetamine, mushrooms and marijuana

SPARTANBURG COUNTY—The Polk County Sheriff’s Office was involved in a high-speed chase last week that ended in the arrest of 2 career criminals out of North Carolina. 

Jimmy Mask, 44, of Rutherfordton and Joshua Tolbert, 38 of Lenoir, fled from deputies and were eventually stopped and arrested, according to sheriff reports. 

Sheriff officers with Polk County said deputies attempted to stop a motor vehicle occupied by the suspects, who are both habitual felons. Sheriff’s officers said the pursuit reached high rates of speed and during the chase, the suspects threw items out of the vehicle. 

The chase ended in a field in Spartanburg County, where the suspects were taken into custody by Polk County deputies and assisted by Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office deputies. 

The suspects were found to be in possession of trafficking amounts of methamphetamine, psychedelic mushrooms, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to Polk County Sheriff’s Office reports. 

Both suspects were taken to the Spartanburg County Detention Center to face charges there and will be extradited later to Polk County to face charges in North Carolina. 

The sheriff’s office said both offenders were recently released from prison in North Carolina; with Mask being released in March and Tolbert being released 3 days prior to last week’s chase. 

Polk County Sheriff Tim Wright said this situation is an example of the criminal justice system failing the people. 

“Neither of these habitual violent offenders should have been on the streets with the opportunity to put the public in danger once again,” Wright said. “Both have violent pasts, are habitual felons and have proven their inability to reform to be productive members of society. How they were free to once again come into our county to push methamphetamine and pose a risk to our citizens is beyond me.”

Wright said he is proud of Chief Ramsey and his deputies for knowing that these offenders were dangerous and out of place and for pursuing them. Wright also said hopefully they will finally be held accountable for their actions.