Traffic stop leads to crack cocaine bust
Published 1:59 pm Thursday, January 3, 2019
Saturday night at approximately 8:57 p.m., Bainbridge Public Safety Officer Timothy Shaw observed a vehicle that failed to dim its headlights and refused to stop at a stop sign. Shaw conducted a traffic stop and eventually arrested the driver for possession of cocaine.
Shaw initiated his sirens and made contact with the driver, Edward Jackson. Jackson told Shaw he was on his way back home and he had just been riding around, but Shaw could tell that Jackson was acting visibly nervous while talking to him. He asked Jackson to step out of the vehicle and step to the rear.
Jackson complied, and Shaw asked him for consent to search the vehicle. Jackson assured him he had nothing illegal in the vehicle and gave his permission.
During the search of the vehicle, officers located a small tub that contained several large pieces of crack cocaine, along with a razor and $5,531 on Jackson’s person.
Shaw said Jackson had used the razor to cut up the larger pieces of crack into smaller chunks to sell to individuals. He said it is highly unusual for individuals to have that large amount of cash on them.
“He had certainly been dealing that night when we found him,” Shaw said.
Shaw placed Jackson under arrest and transported him back to BPS, where he was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, failure to dim headlights and failure to stop at stop sign.