Traffic Stop Leads To Felony Drug Charges For Mooresville Man

MOORESVILLE, NC — A 40-year-old Mooresville man was arrested over the weekend after a traffic stop for equipment violation for a vehicle he was a passenger in led deputies to discover he was wanted on two outstanding child support warrants. The list of charges, however, grew substantially when he arrived at the county jail and officers found a bag of cocaine, according to Iredell Sheriff Darren Campbell.

According to a report from the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, Lavar Donzell Lowe, 40, was a passenger in a GMC Yukon that was stopped Nov. 17 at Rocky River Road and Vick Road near Mooresville after a duputy spotted an equipment violation.

When the deputy approached the vehicle, he smelled the odor of alcohol due to an open container inside the vehicle. While checking the criminal histories for the driver, who was identified as Darrell Wellington Caldwell, and Lowe, he learned Lowe was wanted on two outstanding warrants for failure to pay child support.

Lowe was transported to the Iredell County Detention Center, where his bond was initially set at $1,565 — the amount owed in back child support.

While being processed at the detention center, however, officers found Lowe was hiding a clear plastic bag with more than 5 grams of cocaine, the sheriff’s office said.

He was then charged with felony possession of cocaine, felony possession of a controlled substance inside a prison/jail and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. An additional secured bond was set at $10,0000.

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Photo courtesy of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office