'Deceptive behavior' in vehicle leads to arrest on illegal drug charges

On April 24, a detective with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jasmine Tello, 20, on illegal drug charges after stopping her vehicle on Highway 441 South.

The report states that the detective was working traffic at the intersection of Highway 441 and Rebecca S. Waldron Road when a blue 2010 Nissan Maxima drove by. The driver, later identified as Tello, attempted to hide behind the Maxima’s B pillar (the roof support located between the front and back doors). The report states that this is considered deceptive behavior and is often an indicator of criminal activity.

The detective pulled out behind the Maxima and ran the tag, which came back to a 65-year-old man from Tifton who had a revoked driver’s license. The officer stopped the vehicle, the report says, and smelled marijuana inside the car. He asked Tello if there was any marijuana in the vehicle and she said she didn’t know of any. 

The detective searched the vehicle and found a black book bag on the floor that contained a large amount of suspected marijuana. He also found a silver spoon that had what the report calls a “considerable amount” of a white powdery substance on it. The spoon was wrapped in a sandwich back inside a pocket purse. The powder tested positive for cocaine. The detective also found plastic bags and a digital scale — items commonly used to package and sell drugs.

Tello was arrested and transported to the jail. At the jail, the officer weighed the suspected illegal drugs. The suspected marijuana weighed 112 grams while the suspected cocaine came in at less than an ounce. Tello was charged with two counts of distribution of a controlled substance and possession of a drug-related object. She was jailed and later released.