The first week of October has been a bit of a wild one for Hall County authorities.
During a traffic stop Thursday, a sheriff’s deputy was stuck with an open needle hidden in a suspect’s pocket, Deputy Stephen Wilbanks said in a news release.
Wilbanks said officials are not releasing the deputy’s name, but said he is expected to be OK. They suspect methamphetamine was in the needle.
“Standard procedure is that they go to the (emergency room) for a screening, get a tetanus shot if needed, and go back at a later time for more screening,” Wilbanks told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an email.
The traffic stop led to the arrest of driver Larry Lee Bell, 56, and passenger William Richard Scroggs, both of Gainesville. Officials pulled Bell over for an expired tag and broken tail light.
Authorities then found hydrocodone, which was not in its original container, Wilbanks said.
Jail officials also found meth on Bell when he was booked. Wilbanks said authorities found both drugs on Scroggs.
An open needle hidden in Scroggs’ pocket stuck the unnamed deputy during a search, Wilbanks said.
Bell and Scroggs remain in the Hall County jail on charges of possession of hydrocodone, possession of methamphetamine and possession of prescription drugs not in the original container.
Bell also faces crossing the guard line, expired vehicle registration and tail light violation charges. Scroggs was also charged with obstruction of officers and reckless conduct.
A few days after the drug arrests, Hall County authorities booked Samuel Vargas Cardoso on accusations he fired seven shots during a dispute over parking, Wilbanks said.
Deputies responded to a dispute call on Meadowview Drive in Gainesville on Sunday.
“Cardoso had become involved in a verbal altercation with a neighbor regarding parking problems related to a party the neighbor was hosting,” Wilbanks said.
Officials said Cardoso pulled out a gun and fired into the ground seven times. No one was injured.
Cardoso was charged with reckless conduct, discharging a firearm near a public roadway and possession of a gun by a convicted felon.
He is out of Hall County jail on bond.
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