Trooper Baron Cooper of the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s West Bureau Interdiction Plus team arrested an Atlanta man on drug charges in Bradley County on Wednesday afternoon. The suspect had a 20-page criminal history.
Trooper Cooper stopped a 2014 Infinity for a window tint violation on Interstate 75 northbound at the 32-mile marker at approximately 1:35 p.m. on Wednesday. The state trooper approached the vehicle, where the driver and lone occupant, Tavares Hall, 32, of Atlanta, alleged he was traveling to Knoxville.
Suspicions arose during the conversation, and Trooper Cooper asked for and received consent to search the vehicle. He then requested K-9 assistance to respond. Trooper Michael Kilpatrick arrived and deployed his K-9, which gave a positive response to the presence of drugs on the driver’s seat.
Trooper Cooper then conducted a probable cause search of the suspect. He discovered eight three-ounce vacuum seal bags of cocaine in between the suspect’s thighs. It was later weighed at 1.5 pounds of cocaine, estimated at a value of $24,000. The suspect also had $1,877 in U.S. currency on his person. Both the drugs and U.S. currency were seized in accordance with state law.
Hall was arrested and charged with possession of schedule II drugs with intent to manufacture, sale or distribute. He was transported to the Bradley County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing.