Fugitive's Arrest Leads To Other Busts In Stafford

STAFFORD, VA—A fugitive facing multiple felony assault charges was arrested Tuesday at a Paradise Court home, and two other people were charged with non-related offenses, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. Andre Lamar Bell, 37, of Stafford (pictured) was detained on abduction, strangulation and assault charges and taken to jail.

But then two deputies who had remained at the scene watched two men going back and forth between the residence and a vehicle, which the officers saw had windows that appeared to be tinted too much for Virginia law.

The two men eventually got in the vehicle and pulled out the driveway on Clarke Hill Road before suddenly stopping in a travel lane with the vehicle's hazard lights blinking. Police approached and asked the men to step outside of the vehicle.

That was before a K-9 unit arrived and "conducted a scan" of the vehicle, after which police searched it. They found marijuana and a small safe containing a gun and nine small bags of a white powdery substance, as well as drug paraphernalia. A search of the men found drugs and a sizable amount of money.

The driver, Alpha Lee, 38, of Dumfries, was charged with possession with intent to distribute a schedule I/II controlled substance, possession of a firearm while in possession of drugs, stopping on a highway and illegal tint (remember the windows?). The passenger, Andre S. Bell, 19, of Stafford was charged with possession of marijuana.

Photo: Stafford County Sheriff's Office