Gun, drugs found in vehicle after pair tried to turn around in front of traffic stop

A Cedartown woman and a Rome man were jailed and later released on charges stemming from their odd behavior driving up on one traffic stop and suspiciously turning around, only to get themselves in trouble during their own traffic stop over the weekend.

Jennifer Ann Randolph, 39, of a Cedartown address and Everett Phil Reese, 22, of a Rome address, were both taken into custody early on Sunday morning, January 19 following a traffic stop late on Saturday night, January 18, by the Polk County Police.

Per the report filed by officers, they were in the middle of another traffic stop when they saw a vehicle approach, turn around in a driveway near the stop, and then drive away. Officers found this behavior to be abnormal and something done by those attempting to avoid a road check.

The officer who typed up the report added that they usually see people slow down and drive around a traffic stop, which took place on Judkin Mill Road.

Officers eventually caught up with the vehicle on Highway 27 at Mildred Drive and conducted a traffic stop after it failed to make a complete stop at Judkin Mill Road at Highway 27.

Police found Randolph and Reese within the vehicle, and her explanation made no sense to officers when asked why she turned around near the traffic stop. Randolph was the driver and said that she was turning around to “get milk.” Officers believed they smelled marijuana inside of the car, and asked the pair out. When Reese was getting out of the passenger seat, he told police there was a firearm under the seat.

Reese was taken into custody without incident. 911 dispatchers notified officers he might be wanted, and he admitted he was convicted felon on first offender status. Police did recover a Phoenix Arms handgun, but gave no further information about caliber or model.

When both were out of the vehicle, officers searched and found “multiple medication bottles” within including one for a relative of Randolph’s later found to have a single tablet of Hydrocodone within alongside the Adderall prescription.

As Randolph was being taken into custody for the pill she claimed to have found and put in with the other prescription, Reese began kicking the rear window of the police cruiser. It didn’t break, but did leave a shoe print police noticed when reviewing video.

Reese was charged with a felony for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon or first offender, and was released on a $3,000 bond after spending three days in custody.

Randolph was released on a $4,000 bond following three days spent in jail. She was charged with a felony for possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, and a misdemeanor charge of drugs not in original container.