HAMLET — An Ellerbe man is facing drug charges following an early morning traffic stop.
Around 3:45 Tuesday morning, a deputy patrolling N.C. 177 near the U.S. 74 Bypass saw a vehicle with one occupant parked on the on-ramp, according to a press release from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver, 41-year-old Richard Nicholas Raines, of Ellerbe, reportedly told the deputy that he was on his way to pick up his girlfriend.
The deputy reportedly investigated and determined that the girlfriend was at work in Ellerbe and nowhere near Hamlet, the release states.
When the deputy asked Raines if there was anything illegal in the car, Raines allegedly admitted to having marijuana in the console.
The deputy reportedly asked Raines to step out of the car and found a small baggie of suspected meth in the floorboard.
Raines was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of up to a half-ounce of marijuana. The latter charge is a misdemeanor.
Raines was taken to a magistrate and released on a $1,500 unsecured bond.
Records appear to show Raines has no other pending charges or previous convictions in the state.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
