Clarksville Motel and Skylift Owner Faces Drug Charges

A Clarksville motel owner who once planned to re-open the Skyride tourist attraction now faces a drug charge.

74-year-old William Joseph McMurtrey Junior is accused of felony distribution of a controlled substance. He was being held Monday at the Pike County Jail in Bowling Green on $50,000 cash-only bond pending a court appearance.

Authorities allege they found 114 pounds of marijuana and almost 34 thousand dollars of cash in the basement of the suspect’s home in September 2013. Another 52 pounds of pot that he allegedly sold to another man also was recovered.

The state charge was filed two weeks ago, even though McMurtrey was arrested by federal agents. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Monday that McMurtrey has not been charged with a federal crime.

Authorities allege the suspect bought 150 to 200 pounds of marijuana in Tucson Arizona during a trip there in September 2013.

McMurtrey once planned a multi-million dollar renovation of the Clarksville Skylift, which he owns. The tourist attraction carried riders in little carts to the top of the highest point on the Mississippi River from the 1960s to the early 1990s.