Several suspects arrested on drug related charges

May 17—Deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office have made several traffic-related stops of late that have yielded arrests on drug charges.

One such case happened earlier this month involving a man and woman.

The suspects in that case were identified as Jarred Cornelius Solomon, 43, of the 4100 block of Hanes Drive, Decatur; and Jennifer Marie Vassar, 42, of the 200 block of Franklin Street, Milledgeville, according to an incident report filed by Deputy Ryant Wright.

Both of them were charged with Violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug-related objects, and driving without a license.

They were taken to the Baldwin County Law Enforcement Center and jailed.

In an incident report, Wright said on May 1 he stopped the driver of a Ford Taurus because the car had an inoperable tail light on the driver's side. The traffic stop was made in the parking lot of Firehouse Subs.

The deputy said as he approached the car to talk with the driver, he smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside.

Vassar was the driver. When asked by the officer, she said she she didn't have a driver's license.

The deputy then entered her personal information into his in-car computer and was notified by the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) that the driver could not be found.

Vassar was then placed under arrest.

Wright said he and another deputy initiated a probable cause search of the car, which produced what was described as a quantity of clear crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine.

"While searching the car, I heard glass hit the ground and break," Wright said.

He noted in his report that Deputy Lt. Jerome Roberts informed him that Vassar had dropped a clear smoking device and it had broken.

Roberts began searching the passenger, Jarred Solomon.

A pouch was found in Solomon's right pocket. It contained a pink/clear smoking device, a clear glass smoking pipe, and a clear container that had a clear crystal-like substance suspected of being methamphetamine inside it, according to the report. Solomon was also placed under arrest.

In an unrelated case, Milledgeville Police Department Officer Jalen Webb spotted a 2013 Honda Accord on May 3, near the intersection of Hardwick Street and Irwinton Road that matched the description of a stolen car.

Webb said the car was being driven by Austin Trease, according to an incident report filed by Deputy Serenity Peavey.

The police officer said the driver fled. He also indicated that two unidentified vehicle passengers exited the car at the Jet Food Store on Irwinton Road.

The deputy said the pursuit ended in a car crash at the intersection of Pancras Road and Forest Valley Drive.

The driver was no where to be found.

Deputy Sgt. Melissa Condon later arrived on the scene and asked a 911 dispatcher to call for a K-9 team with the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Peavey and DOC K-9 Officer Anna Stinson tracked the suspect to a residence on the 100 block of Forest Valley Drive.

"When DOC Officer Stinson and I checked in the backyard, I observed an older-model red tractor and a red wooden trailer attached to it," Peavey said.

The suspect was found laying on his back, attempting to hide, the deputy said.

"He was given verbal commands to show both of his hands and he continued reaching towards his waistline," Peavey said. "Trease kept reaching, but Officer Stinson grabbed Trease's hands."

The suspect was later taken into custody.

Trease was charged with driving while unlicensed, failure to maintain lane, duty to stop at the scene of an accident, and theft by receiving stolen property.

The owner of the car was later found. She reportedly gave permission to Deputy Nicholas O'Steen to search the car after it was found and taken to a local paint and body shop.

During a search of the car, the deputy said he found a quantity of suspected methamphetamine in the driver's side door, as well as some needless and a spoon.

Drug charges were later added to the original charges against Trease.

He was taken to the county jail where he remains.