Crime & Safety
Missing License Plate Leads to Cocaine Arrest
A passenger in a vehicle was arrested for cocaine possession after an officer originally pulled over the car for having a lack of visible license plate.
A passenger in a vehicle was arrested for possession of cocaine late last month near Lake Lucerne Road and Riverside Drive after police originally pulled over the car for having a lack of a visible license plate.
At around 7:19 p.m., a Gwinnett Police officer was traveling on Highway 78 when a white Ford F-150 that didn't have a visible license plate passed by. When the officer started to follow the truck, it turned left onto Lake Lucerne Road and took off at a high speed.
The police car's blue lights turned on and the truck made a dramatic turn on Riverside Drive before pulling into a random residential driveway for the police, according to the report.
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The police officer approached the vehicle on the passenger side and saw two females sitting in the car, trembling. When police asked the driver about the license plate, she told police that her license plate was stolen in March in Atlanta. Even though the Atlanta police told her then that she could get a temporary plate for $20, she told Gwinnett police that she didn't have money for it and would just wait until her July birthday to renew the license.
Police noticed that the driver had been stuttering nervously throughout the conversation. When police asked to search her vehicle, she agreed and both women got out of the car. In addition to their continuous trembling, the passenger started twitching her head back and forth.
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In the passenger's seat, a fake Coke can was found with two glass tubes that had brown burn marks and metallic filters, according to the police report. White powdery rocks were found inside the can and also in one of the glass tubes.
A sample of the rock in a NIK public safety drug test came back positive for cocaine, the report said.
The passenger, a 44-year-old from Atlanta, admitted to being the owner of the drug-related objects. She was arrested for cocaine possession.
Since the vehicle had suspended registration, the driver was cited for registration required but was not arrested for anything. The police told her she was free to go.