Crime & Safety

Sweaty, Fidgety Driver Raises Officer's Suspicion

Officer noticed the driver was excessively nervous during a traffic stop on I-85 near Hamilton Mill Road.

Sweaty, fidgety and nervous -- that's how a Gwinnett County Police officer described a Commerce man stopped for a registration violation on I-85 southbound just north of Hamilton Mill Road.

The officer initiated the Sept. 3 traffic stop after noticing the black Honda Accord driven by 31-year-old David Watkins had a license plate registered to a green Honda Accord.


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Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer noticed that Watkins was sweating. When asked for his license, Watkins took "an extended period of time" to produce it. The front seat passenger, who was the owner of the car, informed the officer she was aware of the registration issue.

"I noticed the driver become more fidgety during the stop and appeared to be sweating even more," the officer wrote in the arrest report. The officer also noticed Watkins' license was expired.

The officer asked Watkins to accompany him to the patrol car so the officer could issue a warning citation for the expired license.

"While at my patrol vehicle, I noticed Watkins' nervousness continued, which is unusual since I advised him [of] my intention to issue a warning," the report stated.

The officer began questioning Watkins about where he had been and where he was going. Watkins, according to the report, "seemed to search" for answers and took an unusually long time to reply to the officer's questions. 

After a second officer arrived at the scene, the officer questioned the passenger. The passenger gave a different destination and could not even tell the officer Watkins' last name which seemed to contradict Watkins assertion the two were boyfriend and girlfriend.

The officer requested and received permission to search the vehicle. The officer located a marijuana pipe in the front console and found a red and black bag labeled with Watkins' name. Inside the bag, the officer found five glass vials containing a liquid substance that later tested positive for MDMA. The officer also found a digital scale and green, leafy material which field tested positive for marijuana.

Watkins admitted the drugs were his. He was placed under arrested and transported without incident to the Gwinnett County Jail where he was booked on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. As of Sept. 11, he remained in the Gwinnett County Jail. Bond has been set at $16,900.

The vehicle was released to the owner.


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