An Athens man’s aggressive driving led Commerce police to pull him over last week, but he has a lot more to worry about than a traffic citation after police allegedly found marijuana and methadone in the vehicle.
An officer observed a vehicle traveling south on South Elm Street about a half-length behind another vehicle while doing 45 miles per hour, so he pulled it over.
Upon approaching the driver, Dominique Demonte Hayes, 22, of 705 Spring Valley Road, Lot 11, Athens, the officer noted the strong smell of burnt marijuana.
Hayes, according to the report, apologized for tailgating, and he explained that he was on the way home from visiting his girlfriend’s house, although he seemed unclear of what street she lived on and what her name was, according to the officer’s written account. He also acknowledged the smell of marijuana, explaining that someone who borrowed the vehicle smoked marijuana in it.
The officer asked Hayes if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, and got a “no” response. When he asked if Hayes “had any problem” with the officer searching the vehicle, Hayes again replied, “No,” the report said. But when the officer began searching the vehicle, Hayes clarified that he meant the officer could not search it — then relented and allowed the search.
That might have been a mistake.
The officer reported finding two small plastic bags in a cup holder under a cup of lemonade. One contained a small quantity of marijuana and the other a half-wafer of methadone, the report said. The officer also found, on the passenger-side floor, a set of digital scales with traces of marijuana, and on the passenger-side seat a black bag that contained “a quantity” of marijuana and numerous clear plastic bags.
Hayes denied ownership of all the contraband, but the officer charged him with possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of methadone, possession of methadone with intent to distribute and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.
The report did not indicate that the officer cited Hayes for tailgating.
