Traffic stop leads to drug and paraphernalia charges

A press release was issued through the Ethridge Police Department, indicating that an officer conducted the routine traffic stop on Highway 43 North inside the Ethridge city limits.

The officer ran routine license and background checks on all of the subjects in the vehicle. As a result he discovered that passenger James Smotherman had an active arrest warrant that had been issued through Wayne County.

Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene to assist. Reports show that when the deputies approached the vehicle to take Smotherman into custody, they noticed that backseat passenger Michael Moore was attempting to hide a syringe.

At that point, they report that all of the passengers were asked to exit the vehicle and a thorough search was conducted. While conducting a search of their persons, they found that Moore had approximately .5 grams of methamphetamine in his pocket along with a small amount of marijuana and items of drug paraphernalia. In addition, Smotherman was found to be in possession of a pipe that contained burnt marijuana.

Smotherman and Moore were arrested and transported to the Lawrence County Detention Center. Once there, Moore was booked under charges of simple possession of marijuana, possession of schedule II narcotics (meth), and possession of drug paraphernalia. Smotherman was jailed on the Wayne County warrant as well as a local charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.