A man stopped by Georgia State Patrol for a tag violation pleaded to charges of trafficking methamphetamine Tuesday, officials said.
Jose Jorge Lopez was a passenger in a vehicle traveling on I-20, near Post Road in Douglas County, when a patrol officer stopped the car for a suspended registration violation on April 1.
Initially, Lopez gave the officer a fake name and birth date. He didn’t show up as a resident of either Georgia or Texas, where he said he was from.
Paperwork in the car and the results of a digital fingerprint scanner let the officer know Lopez had a warrant out of DeKalb County for failing to register as a sex offender. He was arrested.
The woman driver granted officers permission to search the vehicle, saying a “small amount of marijuana” might be in the car, but she “wasn’t sure,” police said.
Police found approximately 384 grams, which carried a street value of approximately $20,000, hidden under a seat.
Lopez told officers he put the drugs under the seat without the driver’s knowledge.
At sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Steve Knittel presented evidence to the court of six of Lopez’s previous felony convictions, which ranged from 1992 up until 2012 before this most recent conviction in Douglas County.
Lopez had previously been convicted of burglary, theft, multiple aggravated assaults, lewd sexual acts against a child and violations of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act.
Knittel called Lopez a “career criminal” who deserved a significant prison sentence for bringing such a deadly and toxic drug into Douglas County.
Superior Court Judge William H. McClain agreed and sentenced Lopez to 30 years with the first 18 years to be served in prison.
Because of his criminal record, the defendant is not eligible for parole and will serve 18 years before being released.
Following the sentencing, District Attorney Brian Fortner said those who struggle with addiction deserve support and encouragement to beat addiction, but the District Attorney’s Office will prosecute drug dealers to the fullest extent of the law.
“Individuals like the defendant, however, are career criminals with lengthy felony records who come into our community and introduce the poisons that are killing our friends, our family, and our neighbors for no other reason than their own financial gain,” Fortner said.
About the Author
