A Lebanon man, identified as 49-year-old Gary Lester, was apprehended by Mount Juliet Police after a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40. The stop, which occurred yesterday, originally was initiated due to speeding but swiftly escalated into a significant drug bust when officers discovered Lester was wanted by the U.S. Marshals, WKRN reports.
During the stop, Lester attempted to deceive officers by providing a false name and identity linked to a person from Florida. The misrepresentation did not hold, as authorities quickly uncovered his true identity. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of a significant quantity of meth and cash. WSMV notes that Lester had been previously sentenced to federal prison in 2017 for meth trafficking and was currently wanted for violating federal supervised release.
Lester faces several charges, including identity theft, possession of meth with the intent to resale, and the outstanding federal warrant. The Mount Juliet Police Department, who conducted the arrest, affirmed that they stopped the vehicle on I-40 West due to the suspect’s excessive speed, not initially aware of the individual’s status as a wanted man by the U.S. Marshals, according to the Mount Juliet Police Department.
This afternoon, a traffic stop for speeding on I-40W led to the discovery of man wanted by the US Marshals for violating federal supervised release. The 49-year-old, from Lebanon, originally gave a false name and identity of a person out of Florida. Further investigation revealed… pic.twitter.com/GFcSiN1mWt
— Mt. Juliet Police (@MtJulietPolice) August 4, 2024
