Three days after Greene County deputies intercepted contraband likely headed to a Georgia prison, a Morgan County deputy did the same following a traffic stop on I-20.
Edward Lee Hood, 25, of Atlanta, now faces felony charges of possession of marijuana, criminal attempt to commit a felony, and possession of tools to commit the felony of giving inmates prohibited items without authorization.
According to reports, Deputy William Smith was assisting a motorist whose car had broken down when he noticed the smell of marijuana coming from a passing vehicle.
He caught up with the vehicle, but when he made the traffic stop, the driver got out of his vehicle before Smith could exit his patrol unit, leading the deputy to believe the driver, later identified as Hood, didn’t want him near the car.
Hood initially told Smith he was coming from his grandma’s house, but couldn’t say what city she lived in. He later claimed he was coming from his aunt’s house.
Smith eventually conducted a probable cause search and found a plastic bag containing marijuana “wrapped over multiple times.” The same suitcase contained black spray paint, Saran Wrap, carabiners, and a towel with fresh spray paint on it.
He also found a drone, drone batteries, a drone controller, and a “flight phone” used in conjunction with the drone’s controller.
Scented dryer sheets were found all over the vehicle. The investigation later revealed that Hood’s vehicle had been one mile from the Baldwin State Prison and Jackson Diagnostic and Classification Prison earlier in the day.
A passenger in the vehicle, Lashonda Montgomery, 17, with no listed address, was also arrested and charged.