Community Corner

Man's Escape Attempt Fails When Pants Fall to His Ankles

The man was one of three people jailed on charges of second-degree forgery after police found over $18,000 in suspicious checks in a vehicle during a traffic stop on I-85 near Hamilton Mill.

An attempt to avoid arrest ended badly for a Fairburn, Ga. man during an April 18 traffic stop on I-85 near Hamilton Mill Road.

While patrolling I-85 northbound, a Gwinnett County Police officer spotted a black Ford Explorer closely following another vehicle. After the Explorer crossed over the right fog line, the officer initiated a traffic stop just north of Hamilton Mill Road.

Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer immediately noticed the odor of raw marijuana. The officer asked the driver, Frank Mathis, 30, of Riverdale, Ga., to step out of the vehicle.

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"I noticed that he appeared overly nervous, with his hands physically shaken [sic]," the officer wrote in the report. A check of Mathis' identification indicated he was on probation for aggravated assault.

Based on Mathis' behavior and the smell of raw marijuana, the officer requested backup in order to conduct a probable cause search of the vehicle. The two passengers, Eunice Lydell, 40, of Duluth, and Travis Milam, 32, of Fairburn, were asked to step out of the vehicle and stand with the backup officer. Milam identified himself as "Jonathan Mathis." Frank Mathis also referred to Milam as "Jonathan" and said he was his brother.

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During the search, the officer found blunt spray, Owl cigarillos, 5 grams of suspected marijuana and an envelope containing 43 checks totaling $18,787 made out to Anthony Mills, Corey Williams, Carlos Williams and Miranda Ingram. The envelope also contained three driver's licenses with the same three male names. The pictures on the licenses, however, reportedly appeared to be those of Mathis and Milam.Β 

The officer asked the backup officer to place Lydell and Milam into his patrol vehicle while the matter was further investigated. Before the officer could do so, Milam began running down the hill toward the back of Kohl's.

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You might also be interested in reading:

  • Police Seize Six Pounds of Marijuana During I-85 Traffic Stop Near Hamilton Mill Road
  • Arrestee: I Thought They Weren't Going to Report the Car as Stolen
  • Suspected Drunk Driver Admits Having '5 or 6 Beers' ... '5 or 6 Months Ago'
  • Thieves Raid Elderly Woman's Underwear Drawer


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