A Cedartown man was jailed and later released on bond and a Cedartown woman remained in jail with bond denied after an early Monday morning traffic stop for obscured tags ended with their arrest for drug and weapons possession, according to Polk County Police reports.

Justin Willie Waits, 33, of 819 Corinth Five Points, Cedartown, and April Marie Lackey, 38, of 231 Wieuca Way, Cedartown, were taken into custody on July 19 around 4:30 a.m. after they were pulled over by Polk County Police officers just before 3 a.m. after they were spotted with an obscured tag and no tag lights on a 1990 Ford pickup truck.

Police reported that the driver, later identified as Waits, was signaling for a right-hand turn then changed their mind at the last minute and continued straight on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and police pulled the truck over at Grands Convenience Center.

Officers explained why they pulled the vehicle over and at one point asked for consent to search the vehicle, which was denied. Police had already recognized Lackey – who has been reported on previously for arrests in recent months – and suspected something might be in the vehicle, and called upon the PCSO K-9 Nero to conduct a free air sniff around the vehicle.

Before Nero was able to use his nose, police first had difficulty getting Lackey to leave the pickup and went as far as to threaten to charge her with obstruction if she didn’t get out. Finally she “stepped out and became very angry and accused (the reporting officer) of harrassment and state that she had recently had an abortion and therefore was unable to exit the vehicle.”

Nero did alert to the presence of narcotics on the passenger side of the vehicle where Lackey sat, and police conducted a search and found several items inside including methamphetamine inside of Lackey’s purse, a medication bottle with several different types of pills, a Rough Rider .22 caliber revolver, additional meth and marijuana inside of a bandana within the truck cab.

Per the report, Waits denied any knowledge of the drugs inside of the vehicle but did take responsibility for the revolver. Lackey refused to talk to the police about the drugs. Both were taken into custody and transported at the Polk County Jail.

Waits was booked and released on a $9,000 bond. He was charged with felonies for possession of methamphetamine and possession of firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, and sale, manufacture, deliver or possess dangerous drugs. She also faces a pair of misdemeanor charges for possession of marijuana and drugs not in the original container. He also was charged with misdemeanors for tag lights required, obscuring tag frame or tinted tag covers prohibited, and possession of marijuana.

Lackey remained in jail with bond denied on felony charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, and sale, manufacture, deliver or possess dangerous drugs. She also faces a pair of misdemeanor charges for possession of marijuana and drugs not in the original container.