By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A 23-year-old Maylene man is being held in the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling $30,000 after he was charged with allegedly selling marijuana at an Alabaster apartment complex.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office arrested Thomas Ernest Darby III, who lists an address on Yellowleaf Circle in Maylene, on April 18 and charged him with three felony counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.

The arrest came after the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force issued warrants on the suspect following a trio of alleged drug deals at the Wellington Manor apartment complex, said Task Force Commander Capt. Kevin Turner.

According to Darby’s arrest warrants, he allegedly sold marijuana in the 1500 block of Windsor Court on three separate occasions in 2014: Once on Jan. 9, once on Jan. 21 and again on March 12.

Unlawful distribution of a controlled substance is a Class B felony, according to Alabama law. If convicted, Darby could face up to 20 years in prison per charge.