A call to police about suspicious activity near a business has led to the arrest of a Georgia man on drug charges.
Joseph Trey Welden, 24, of a Highway 301 address in Trenton, Georgia, has been charged with Possession of Methamphetamine for Resale, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Evading Arrest. He was jailed on a $52,500 bond and is due to appear in East Ridge Municipal Court on March 27.
According to an affidavit of complaint, officers were called to GT Buy, Sell and Trade at 6007 Ringgold road early Friday afternoon regarding suspicious activity. The complainant told dispatchers that two men were swapping items out of a Nissan and a Chrysler Town and Country in the parking lot of the business. When police arrived they saw both vehicles backed into parking spots and were told that the men had gone next door into the pawn shop. When the men came out of the business the complainant pointed them out to the officers.
Joseph Welden
According to the report, the men went back into GT Buy, Sell and Trade and were confronted by police. One of the men gave his name to police as Jon Taylor McQuir. When police were verifying the name, “McQuir” took off through the parking lot on foot. The suspect ran to the back lot of Tweety’s Auto Sales and was thwarted by a high wooden fence. The report states that police gave the man multiple commands to get on the ground, which were ignored.
The report states the suspect was tazed, apprehended and placed into custody. It was determined that “McQuir” was actually Welden and the man had outstanding warrants from several jurisdictions.
Police spoke with Welden’s companion who told them that he had rented the Chrysler van from Tweety’s for Welden because he was the only one of the two men who had a valid drivers license. Welden’s companion gave officers permission to search the van telling them that he did not own anything inside the vehicle. The report states that police found a total of 11.2 ounces of suspected crystal methamphetamine and a glass pipe. Police also found $2,210 in cash in Welden’s companion’s pocket. The man told police that the money belonged to Welden and that he had given it to him to buy a firearm at the pawn shop. Welden told police that only a portion of the cash was actually his, but didn’t give a specific amount. The cash was seized and placed into property and evidence. the report states.
