A traffic stop in Oglethorpe County escalated as soon as a Georgia State Patrol trooper found a drug scale in the car, authorities said.
As soon as it was found, the suspect, who already had one hand in handcuffs, jumped behind the wheel, starting a struggle for control over the vehicle, GSP Sgt. Auston Allen told AJC.com.
The trooper spotted 31-year-old Albert Collins’ 2001 Toyota Tacoma allegedly speeding on Smithonia Road on Monday, Allen said. A county deputy came to the scene to assist, and they smelled marijuana when they walked to the pickup truck.
The deputy began to arrest Collins, while the trooper asked a passenger to get out of the vehicle. That’s when Allen said the trooper saw the drug scale with a white powdery residue on it, which later tested positive for cocaine.
When the trooper told the deputy about the scale and drugs, Collins tried to jump back in the truck and drive away, Allen said.
During the struggle, the vehicle was put into reverse, hitting the trooper’s patrol car, but it didn’t do damage to the car, Allen said. Shortly after, Collins was taken into custody and booked into the Oglethorpe County Jail.
Marijuana, crack and powder cocaine, cash and a shotgun were found in the vehicle, Sheriff David Gabriel said in a Facebook post.
Collins is a felon who was previously convicted of several charges of obstruction, possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records. His last stint in prison ended in December 2016.
AJC.com has reached out to the sheriff’s office for the list of charges Collins faces. The passenger, who was not named, was also arrested.
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