Police: Man Tried to Swallow Pot During Traffic Stop

ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT MEDIA RELEASE

Aug. 20, 2014

ARREST

Around 6:10 p.m. on August 19, an officer ran a vehicle tag and learned it did not have valid insurance. A traffic stop was made on College Avenue near Martin Luther King, Jr., Pkwy. As the vehicle stopped, the officer could see the driver moving around. Contact was made with the driver. When asked for his license the driver, Darin Lamar Brown, advised it was suspended. While the officer talked with him, Brown continued moving around. When backup arrived, Brown was told to exit the vehicle and place his hands on top of it. Once out of the vehicle, he began pushing back on the officer. At this time, the officer saw plastic baggies on the seat where Brown had been reaching. As the officer attempted to get Brown’s hands behind his back to handcuff him, Brown leaned in the vehicle, grabbed a baggy, and put it in his mouth. He continued to resist and was taken to the ground, handcuffed, and arrested. Brown spit that baggie out and started yelling. The officer saw other baggies, a brown substance, and a green leafy material in his mouth. He also smelled an odor of marijuana. As Brown was about to be put in the patrol car, he grabbed the officer’s arm and began squeezing it. The officer sustained minor cuts to his hands. Since Brown had possibly ingested drugs, he was transported to the hospital to be checked. After being medically cleared, he was transported to jail. The substances in the baggies field-tested positive for marijuana. Brown, 45, W Broad St, was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, Tampering with Evidence, Obstructing/Hindering LEO, and Simple Battery on a Police Officer.

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT / ARMED ROBBERY

Officers responded to an armed robbery that had just occurred at Athens Food Shop, 1112 Hull Rd, around 10:10 p.m. August 19. The clerk said he had closed the store and was about to enter his vehicle. A black male came up and pointed a gun at him. The suspect told him to go back inside and give him the money. The clerk said once inside they went behind the counter and he removed an unspecified amount of money from the register. The suspect took the money and ordered him to the floor. He then exited the store and fled on foot. He was described as 6’1”, slim build, possibly “older.” He wore dark sunglasses, a bandana, black and white gloves, a red hoodie, tan cargo pants, and black shoes.

BURGLARY

A Big Oak Circle residence was burglarized between 4:30 a.m. and 6:35 p.m. August 19. Computer tablets, TVs, and shoes were stolen. The total value was $2,061.