Expired registrations lead to arrests

Expired registrations helped the Commerce Police Department put two men in jail, one on a felony drug charge and the other — considered “armed and dangerous” — on an outstanding Hall County warrant.

At 4:49 a.m. on Saturday morning, an officer pulled over a vehicle on U.S. 441 near W.E. King Road for driving with a suspended registration.



According to the arrest report, the officer noted the smell of alcohol upon meeting the driver and saw a 12-pack of beer between the legs of the passenger, Irineo Longoria, 33, of 172 Sills Drive, Cleveland.

Longoria, the report said, admitted to drinking, but when the officer asked if there were any open containers, Longoria said there were not — after which the officer spotted an open container on the floor at his feet.

The driver also admitted to drinking and tested positive for alcohol, the report said, but her blood alcohol level was not high enough to warrant a DUI (driving under the influence) citation. With her permission, police searched the vehicle and, the report said, located a quantity of methamphetamine in a pink jewelry bag located near Longoria.

Both occupants denied that the drugs belonged to them, but police charged Longoria with possession of methamphetamine and violation of the open container law.

In the other incident, an officer pulled over Joshua Keith Powell, 26, of 122 Williford Street, Commerce, also because of a suspended registration.

When the officer ran Powell’s information on the state database, he learned of an outstanding warrant on Powell from Hall County. The report said dispatch warned that Powell should be considered “armed and dangerous.” With the assistance of other officers, Powell was arrested without incident, the report said.