Colbert man faces drug charges after chase

The case began at 11:30 a.m. when an officer noticed Coon’s vehicle make an improper lane change and he noticed that the drive-out tag on the vehicle was improper, so the officer attempted to pull the vehicle over.

The report said Coon sped away toward Athens on U.S. 441. Near Whitehill School Road, the report said Coon encountered traffic, crossed over the median and headed south in the northbound lane of U.S. 441 before attempting to cross back to the southbound lane.

In the course of attempting to get back into the proper lane, the vehicle’s driver-side tires blew. The vehicle stopped, Coon exited and ran, only to be tackled by the officer.

Upon getting back to the car, the officer said he could see in the front a hypodermic needle and some spoons — signs of drug use. Coon refused to let the officer search the vehicle, but a Banks County deputy soon arrived with a drug dog, which alerted on the vehicle. The officer said he found a black book bag containing two bags of suspected methamphetamine. He also found a grinder commonly used to grind up marijuana, the report said.