A Keswick man under investigation for alleged methamphetamine sales ended up tossing a bag of the drug out of a moving vehicle as Redding police tried to pull the car over, according to authorities. The bag, police say, held about half a pound of methamphetamine. Both the man accused of throwing it and the driver of the car are now behind bars in Shasta County.
Redding police arrested 55-year-old Freddie Cox of Keswick and 78-year-old George William Dunlap of Redding, according to krcrtv.com. Officers found Cox riding as a passenger in a vehicle driven by Dunlap, the outlet reported, and the stop set off a chain of events that would end with both men booked into jail.
A Low-Speed Pursuit and a Bag Thrown From the Car
When officers attempted a traffic enforcement stop, Dunlap failed to yield and kept the car moving at a slow speed rather than pulling over right away, per the same krcrtv.com report. During the pursuit, Cox threw a bag from the vehicle. Officers later determined it contained methamphetamine, and police estimated the amount at roughly half a pound, the station noted.
As Action News Now reported, the Redding Police Department took both men into custody as part of a broader methamphetamine trafficking investigation. Cox wasn't a stranger to investigators by the time of the stop — the department's Neighborhood Police Unit had reportedly been looking into him on suspicion of selling methamphetamine before this incident unfolded, the krcrtv.com article states.
Search of Cox's Home Turns Up Ammunition
Following the arrest, Neighborhood Police Unit officers executed a search warrant at Cox's residence, where they reported finding evidence consistent with drug sales along with ammunition, the outlet's report said. That ammunition discovery carries extra legal weight because authorities say Cox is a convicted felon who is barred from possessing it at all.
Cox was booked into the Shasta County jail on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine for sale, transporting methamphetamine, destroying evidence, and being a felon in possession of ammunition, according to the report. Dunlap, meanwhile, was booked on suspicion of transporting methamphetamine and failing to yield to a police officer, the same account noted.
No information was immediately available on whether prosecutors have filed formal charges against either man or on the current status of the case.
