A 48-year-old with a lengthy record remains in the Coffee County Jail after deputies found suspected illegal drugs in his vehicle during a March 3 traffic stop.
According to a report from the sheriff’s office, a deputy stopped Gabriel Benjamin Carelock, 48, in West Green for speeding around 8 p.m. on March 3, 2026. When asked to get out of his vehicle, Carelock did but when he was told that a drug detective was on the way, Carelock became nervous and jumped back in the vehicle, the report says. He attempted to make a phone call from inside the truck. He eventually got out of the vehicle without making the phone call. When he exited the truck, he locked the doors. Carelock told officers he had accidentally locked his keys in the truck but there was a spare set in the toolbox. Carelock looked in the toolbox but did not produce a second set of keys.
An officer then told Carelock he was going to search his pockets, at which time Carelock reached into his pockets and threw something into the woods. The officers then took Carelock down and, after Carelock allegedly resisted, they were able to get him in handcuffs. Carelock suffered visible injuries during the takedown. Officers contacted EMS, which responded to the scene and examined Carelock.
Once restrained, Carelock said that he had ammunition in his pocket and that’s what he threw into the woods, the report says. He is a convicted felon and didn’t want to get into trouble for having ammunition, he said, according to the report.
The truck was not registered to Carelock. Officers spoke to the registered owner; she said she didn’t have another set of keys. Deputies unlocked the vehicle with tools they had in their patrol vehicles. When officers opened the truck, they found a syringe and some loose Oxycodone pills. Carelock later admitted that he threw his keys into the woods so officers wouldn’t be able to get inside.
He was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine, and obstruction of an officer. He was booked into the Coffee County Jail. He has not been released.
