The following information is gleaned from incident reports, which are public record, from the Jones County Sheriff’s Department and Gray Police Department April 4-11, 2024.
April 4
“It’s mine, you got me”
Deputy Brown was sitting stationary on Pitts Chapel Road at GA S. R. 49 when he noticed a vehicle pass by that had no taillights and appeared to have no tag. Brown activated his emergency equipment and made a traffic stop on the vehicle. As the deputy was approaching the vehicle, he noticed it had a drive out tag on it. Brown called the information in to dispatch, and it came back to show the vehicle had no insurance out of Bibb County. Brown made contact with the male driver and advised the reason for the stop was no tag light. When the deputy asked the male driver for his license, Brown detected the odor of marijuana.
Brown asked the male subject if he had any drugs or weapons on him and he said no. Brown advised that he could smell marijuana and the male subject told the deputy that people smoke in the vehicle. The male also stated the vehicle belonged to a taxi service.
The deputy had the male exit the vehicle and the odor of marijuana was stronger on the male subject’s person than it was in the vehicle.
The male subject then advised the deputy that he had a joint inside his shoe. When the male was trying to remove his shoe, Brown saw something white in color. The deputy advised the male to stay still, and the deputy then removed the male’s shoe. Inside the shoe Brown found a small amount of possible marijuana in a small baggie and a white stone that appeared to be a piece of crack cocaine. The male driver told the deputy that it was not his and that he was taking it to someone.
Brown advised the male that since the drugs are in his possession, he will be getting charged with it.
The deputy asked the male why he had it in his shoe and the male replied, “because I didn’t want you to find it.” The male subject then admitted “it’s mine, you got me.”
At that time, the male subject was placed under arrest for possession of schedule II drugs. The male driver was then transported to the Jones County LEC where he was charged for possession of a controlled substance, a written citation for no insurance, and a written warning for defective equipment (no tag light).
April 5
“I made a stupid move”
Deputy Brown was traveling on GA S.
R. 18 East when a vehicle passed by him with a strong odor of marijuana coming from it. Brown turned around and caught up to the vehicle and the odor of marijuana got even stronger. At that time, Brown activated his emergency equipment and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. Brown made contact with the female driver and when she was rolling her window down, the odor of marijuana overwhelmed the deputy, and he had the female step out of the vehicle. Brown asked her when the last time she smoked was and she advised him it had been about two hours before the stop.
The deputy then asked the female driver if she had any marijuana on her and she replied, “no.” Brown asked the female if that is because she threw it out. The female was about to deny throwing the marijuana out and Brown stopped her and said “it’s right there in the roadway where you threw it.” Brown placed the female driver in handcuffs and waited on a female deputy to come and search the female. The deputy picked up two baggies of marijuana out of the road. The female stated that she made a “stupid move by throwing it out like she did” and “she just did not want to get caught with it.” The deputy advised the female that she sure did as it ended up laying right beside her car door. A search of the vehicle was done however nothing illegal was found. Dep. Brown had the female run through a series of roadside test to see if she was safe to drive. Nothing on the test indicated that the female was unsafe to drive so Brown had the female stomp the marijuana out on the side of the road and issued her a citation for possession of marijuana less than one ounce and released her at the scene.
April 9
Passenger with active warrant
Deputy Allen was dispatched to the Gray Bypass near Old Hwy. 18W in reference to a mechanical breakdown.
Upon arrival to the scene, Allen met with the female driver and male passenger. The female stated she was on her way to Macon to drop off her friend when the vehicle suddenly shut off. The female advised her phone was dead and her friend’s phone did not work either. Allen let the female driver use his department issued work phone to make a phone call for assistance. The deputy asked the male passenger for his driver’s license and the male advised he did not have it on him. Allen retrieved the male passenger’s information and ran it through the GCIC/NCIC system, and it came back to show that the male had an active warrant out of Bibb County.
The male was removed from the vehicle at that time and placed in handcuffs.
Sgt. Johnson arrived on scene to assist.
The warrant for the male passenger was confirmed through Bibb County and he was transported to Bibb County by Sgt. Johnson. The female driver called a family member to come pick her up and the vehicle was left on the side of the road to be picked up at a later time by the family of the female.
