Four arrested in Bleckley County after traffic stop reveals contraband, suspect flees in handcuffs

A traffic stop on Interstate 16 led to four arrests early Tuesday morning after Bleckley County deputies say they found suspected prison contraband and narcotics, according to the Bleckley County Sheriff's Office.

COCHRAN, Ga. (41NBC/WMGT) – A traffic stop on Interstate 16 led to four arrests early Tuesday morning after Bleckley County deputies say they found suspected prison contraband and narcotics, according to the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a sheriff’s office Facebook post, deputies stopped a vehicle just after 4 a.m., and after a search “based on circumstances at the time,” they found suspected illegal substances. While deputies were taking the suspects into custody, one of them ran—while in handcuffs.

Deputies secured the remaining suspects before calling for backup. Within minutes, law enforcement officers from Bleckley, Laurens and Twiggs counties responded, along with K-9 agents from the Georgia Department of Corrections and troopers from the Georgia State Patrol, who deployed a helicopter to assist in the search.

By mid-morning, law enforcement located the suspect and arrested him.

The following people were taken into custody:

• 34-year-old Tommy Johnson Fields of Warner Robins
• 21-year-old Emmett Edward Miller of Dalton
• 21-year-old Dawou Payne of Clarkston
• 28-year-old Nasheon Dana Ridley of Lithonia

All four face charges including violations of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act and Georgia’s prison contraband law. Ridley also faces an obstruction charge, with additional charges pending.

“Our state is plagued by this issue,” Sheriff Daniel Cape wrote in the post. “It’s a safety concern for the men & women who work ‘inside the wire,’ it’s a safety concern for our citizens & Deputies, it’s a safety concern for those inmates inside who want to do their time and return to society to be responsible adults.”

Cape says smuggling contraband through Bleckley County will not be tolerated, warning those who attempt it that they “will be caught, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Should you decide to smuggle contraband through our county, please make sure you also bring a small pack of white tshirts, socks and undergarments, as that’s all I allow here for you to wear with our jumpsuits,” Cape wrote.