Rockmart Police arrested a Tennessee woman on meth possession and a traffic charge after she and a passenger were stopped for a busted tail light, but marijuana found on the scene was destroyed and no charges were filed against her for the additional drugs found.
Per the report, Sara J Ethridge, 35, of 7530 Carenders Branch Road, Lyles, Tennessee, was jailed on February 10, 2022 on a felony possession of methamphetamine charge and two misdemeanors for no operating brake light/signals and possession and use of drug-related objects after officers found meth in her car during a traffic stop.
Rockmart officers stopped Ethridge and a passenger who wasn’t charged around 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and Springdale Road in her 2002 Volvo V70 when police saw the non-working tail light while it was driving south on Piedmont Avenue.
Ethridge told police she knew about the tail light problem, provided her information to officers, and both her and the passenger were nervous.
After being questioned and police promising they would work with the pair if they admitted what they had in the car, Ethridge told police she had marijuana in the vehicle.
Both were searched before police looked inside the car, and nothing was found in their pockets or on their person.
When officers looked around in the car, they found a wooden box inside of a jacket with a further plastic container within that had a combination lock. Police asked Ethridge about it – who told officers it was hers – and that she “usually keeps marijuana inside of it.” However when she agreed to open it and police looked within, they found methamphetamine instead.
Officers also found hypodermic needles that had suspected meth residue, and one believed to be pre-loaded with liquid meth. Officer did find the marijuana she told them she had and an additional joint after further digging.
Instead of charging Ethridge or the passenger with marijuana possession, it was destroyed on scene and the passenger was allowed to take the car onward home at Ethridge’s request.
She was taken to jail for the methamphetamine found in the car, and remained there without bail as of this posting as bond had not yet been set.
