46-year-old Tonya Loretta Biggerstaff of Hayes Waters Road in Morganton was arrested Monday (July 10) by Morganton Public Safety Officers. She’s charged with felony possession of schedule II controlled substance, misdemeanor counts of simple possession of schedule VI controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, and traffic counts including driving while license revoked.

Monday, shortly before 1:30 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop of a black 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander that was displaying an expired temporary registration plate. The vehicle was stopped on North Green Street at East Catawba Street in Morganton. After making contact with the driver, identified as the suspect Tonya Biggerstaff, the arrest was made. According to police reports, .5 grams of methamphetamine and one gram of marijuana were seized during the traffic stop.

According to the North Carolina Department Of Adult Correction Offender Public Information website, Tonya Loretta Biggerstaff has multiple convictions dating back to 1993. She’s been convicted of multiple crimes in Burke, Alexander, and McDowell Counties including felony counts of possession of schedule II controlled substance, larceny of bank notes, common law uttering, and credit card theft. The most recent conviction was in McDowell County in January, 2022 for felony possession of schedule II controlled substance.

Following Monday’s arrest, Biggerstaff was brought to the Burke County Jail under $3,000 secured bond. She was not listed as an inmate in Burke County today (July 12). A District Court date is set for July 31.