During the routine pat-down search of a man they were arresting, Eatonton Police Department officers discovered a significant bulge in the top of his sock.
Once identified, the package in his sock was added to the charges he was already being arrested for.
On Monday, Nov. 3, EPD Investigator Hargrove Jones reportedly witnessed what appeared to be a drug exchange near East Marion Street. Jones told EPD Officer Blaze Waldroup what he’d seen, and, upon hearing the name of the man seen conducting the transaction, Waldroup remembered there was an active warrant for the man’s arrest. The man was identified as Omar Andrews, according to Waldroup’s incident report.
The two officers, along with Sgt. Howard Clemons and Police Chief Howell Cardwell, went to where they’d been told Andrews was sitting outside in a lawn chair. They asked Andrews if he was Omar Andrews, and he reportedly said no. So, Cardwell asked Andrews for his identification cards, which confirmed his identity.
While placing Andrews under arrest for the warrant, the officers found what appeared to be a bag of cocaine in his left sock cuff, as well as various items in his other clothing, including a lighter, vape, phone charger, digital scale, and a book for a mobile phone. Other items in his wallet included a family photo and $66 cash.
The bagged drugs weighed 26.4 grams and field tested positive for containing cocaine, according to Waldroup’s report. Cardwell estimated the street value at $500 to $700, or more, depending on how it was divided when sold.
Omar Lydell Andrews, 37, of Gainesville, is in Putnam County Jail facing charges of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, probation violation, and a foreign warrant (Hall County, for possession of cocaine).