Crime & Safety
Suspicious Driving Move Leads to Three Drug Arrests
The following arrest information was supplied by the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety. It does not indicate a conviction.
Three Charlotte men were arrested on drug charges after the driver of their vehicle pulled into an Alpharetta hotel parking lot to avoid police, but then got right back on the road after the patrol car passed by.
An Alpharetta Department of Public Safety police officer spotted a gold GMC Yukon turn southbound on Davis Drive on June 17 at 3:46 p.m. When he pulled behind the vehicle to run its license plate, it turned into the Homewood Suites parking lot. But when he drove past it, the Yukon got back on Davis Drive. The Yukon was stopped in the Miller's Ale House parking lot.
The driver and passengers at first said there were no illegal drugs in the car. One person said there was alcohol inside.
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After the owner of the car refused a request to search the car, the officer brought out his police dog. It alerted on several points around the car, which indicates the presence of drugs.
Now a passenger who had been in the back of the Yukon admitted having some marijuana in his bag.
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The driver of the Yukon told the officer he had some illegal substances in his pocket. The officer found a pill bottle with Clonazepam, eight hits of LSD, a half a Xanax and 1 gram of marijuana.
A search of the vehicle revealed a half a Xanax, 3 grams of marijuana and a pipe with marijuana residue in a bookbag.
The floorboard on the front passenger side had a white, powdery substance that a field test kit showed positive for cocaine.
Joseph Taylor, 21, of Montrose Court, Charlotte, was charged with possession of a schedule I, II and IV drug, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and driving on an expired tag. The schedule IV possession charge was dismissed, and he was released on a $7,500 bond.
James Carter, 20, of Scotland Avenue, Charlotte, was charged with possession of a schedule IV drug and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. He was released on $4,000 bond.
Caleb Westfield Coker, 21, of Harris Road, Charlotte was charged with possession of of a schedule II drug and possession of marijuana. He was released on $4,000 bond.
For questions about this blotter, email Bob Pepalis.
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