Decatur driver caught with drugs, cell phones, police say | public safety

The 19-year-old was arrested May 17 while members of the Decatur Police Community Action Team were working in the West Hickory Point Road area, according to a sworn affidavit.

The man was arrested for traffic violations and Officer Clayton Zilz, who signed the affidavit, said the car smelled of cannabis. Zilz said he found the drug stowed in a prescription bottle and discovered a plastic bag containing 2.1 grams of crack cocaine in a recess in the driver’s door, along with another bag containing 1.6 grams of crack cocaine.

“Through my experience as a law enforcement officer, I’ve learned that 2.1 grams of crack cocaine exceeds the average amount of users,” Zilz added. And the officer said that 1.6 grams was also more than that amount.

“(The driver) was in possession of several cell phones at the time of his arrest,” the officer added. “…I learned that drug dealers often have multiple cell phones because they use one phone as a ‘work’ phone to arrange illegal drug deals and use their other phone for personal purposes.”

The man was convicted on a preliminary drug trafficking charge and released from Macon County Jail on May 23 after posting $10,000 bail set at $100,000.

And a check of Macon County court records shows he was already out on bail when he was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to previous charges accusing him of cocaine trafficking and drug possession. That case is set to go to trial before a jury on July 20.