Convicted drug dealer back in jail after Christmas Day traffic stop

A man who previously spent time in prison for multiple convictions on cocaine charges has returned to the Coffee County Jail for the same offense. 

On Christmas Day, a Douglas police officer reportedly turned off Bowens Mill Road Southeast when she noticed a male sitting at a traffic light without a seatbelt and on his cellular device. The officer stated that she made a U-turn at the entrance of Pineland Bank and got behind the vehicle. 

Although the traffic light had already turned green, the driver, identified as 44-year-old Shedrick King, was still sitting at the light. 

At that time, the officer conducted a traffic stop, with the officer reporting smelling an odor of marijuana when she got out of her patrol car. The officer stated that when she walked up to the vehicle, she asked King to roll down his window so she could speak to him. When King rolled down the window, "a strong odor of marijuana was emitted from the vehicle." As the officer explained why she pulled King over, she observed a smell of alcohol on his breath. 

When asked if he had been drinking, King told the officer that he had one beer around 30 minutes prior and said he had beer in the back seat. 

According to the report, the officer asked King if there was anything illegal in the vehicle "due to the odor of marijuana, which he denied. Two other officers arrived at the scene, and King consented to an on-person search. The officer stated that nothing illegal was found during the search, but King continued to try and go back to his vehicle. The report states that King admitted to having "a little marijuana" inside his car. 

Officers searched the vehicle and reportedly discovering a Ziploc bag of a green leafy substance on the side of the driver's seat. The report also states that the glove compartment did not have a "door," with a small clear ziplock baggie containing a clear white substance in plain view. In addition,an open container of alcohol was located in the backseat, along with two open beer bottles that "King had already consumed."

King was placed on a 48-hour hold and later charged with possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and possession of marijuana. He is currently in the Coffee County Jail. 

According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, King spent over four years on two separate sentences for selling/distributing cocaine (3x), possession of cocaine (3x), obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and possession of marijuana. He was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in August but was released on bond in September.