Three Arrested After Drugs, Gun and Ledger Found in Car

A Nov. 18 traffic stop on I-85 led to the arrest of three people on multiple drug-related charges.

A Gwinnett County Police officer was traveling northbound on I-85 when he noticed a white Chrysler Cirrus with a cracked windshield displaying a license plate that was not assigned to the vehicle. After seeing the vehicle cross over the center line and fog line, the officer pulled the car over just south of Hamilton Mill Road. 

While writing citations for the driver, Johnny Byrum, 51, of Bowman, Ga., the officer noticed Byrum seemed “extremely nervous.” The officer checked Byrum’s license and discovered it had been suspended in April of 2012. Byrum was also listed as being on active probation. When asked why he was on probation, Byrum initially said it was related to a DUI charge but quickly changed his answer to drug possession.

The licenses of Byrum’s passengers, Sonya Byrum, 30, of Bowman, Ga. and Alicia Flynt, 30, of Dewy Rose, Ga., had also been suspended.

During his conversation with the officer, Johnny Byrum said he and the two females had traveled to Gwinnett County to go shopping at the Mall of Georgia. Byrum was unable to name any of the stores at which they had shopped.

“I noticed Byrum’s nervousness increased during the traffic stop and his speech became more and more non-understandable,” the officer wrote in the arrest report.

Another officer arrived at the scene and interviewed Byrum’s passengers. The two women provided a different account of why the trio was in Gwinnett. Due to the discrepancies in the vehicle occupants’ stories and Byrum’s behavior, the officer requested consent to search the vehicle, which Byrum granted.

In the seat where Flynt had been sitting, the officer found a pill later identified as hydrocodone and a marijuana joint. In the glove compartment, the officer found two glass pipes of the type commonly used to smoke methamphetamine and a small baggy containing green, leafy material that field-tested positive for marijuana.

On the passenger floorboard, the officer found a small notebook, which according to the report appeared to be a drug sales ledger, listing dollar amounts and quantities. Another similar book was later found in Johnny Byrum’s possession.

The officer also searched the engine compartment of the vehicle and found a black pouch in front of the air filter. The pouch contained a digital scale and two baggies with an off-white substance. Under the black pouch, the officer located a white pouch containing four baggies with a crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. A .44 Magnum Super Redhawk pistol was also found in the engine compartment.

According to the police report, all three vehicle occupants were placed under arrest at that time and each reportedly made incriminating statements after being read his or her Miranda Rights. The statements were captured on an audio recording.

Johnny Byrum was arrested on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime and driving while license suspended or revoked. He is also being held for another agency.

Sonya Byrum was arrested on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

Alicia Flynt was arrested on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime, possession of a controlled substance and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

All three remain jailed without bond.

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