According to a Floyd County Police Department incident report, November 21st, 2022, at 2:48 PM, K-9 Lt. Hovers was advised of a silver pickup truck containing two subjects traveling north on Blacks Bluff Road. The passenger was identified as Jamar Shantay Finley, 39, of Rome, and had active felony drug warrants. According to the warrant, on November 2nd, after 5:00 PM, Finley sold Fentanyl, meth, and marijuana to Benjamin Lamar Williams, 37, of Rome, at the Maple Quick Stop. Williams was arrested and booked into the Floyd County Jail. According to the report, “At this time, K-9 Officer Harbin and Lt. Hovers observed the vehicle traveling northbound and observed the passenger to be Finely (via photo that was provided to us prior to the stop).” Lt. Hovers reported, “As the vehicle in question stopped at the intersection of West Main [I] pulled my patrol vehicle around to the front of the suspect vehicle and blocked them from moving forward as Officer Harbin pulled behind them. Both Officer Harbin and [I] exited our patrol vehicle and conducted a traffic stop and ordering the driver and passenger to hold their hands up. Each subject was removed one by one from the vehicle as Finely was arrested. The driver (later identified as Jesse Lee Barton, 37, of Rome) was also placed in cuffs and was explained the reason he was being stopped.” Officers observed a digital scale lying in the center of the floorboard. Lt. Hovers asked Barton who it belonged to, and he stated that he did not know anything about it and that it was not his. Lt. Hovers asked if he could search his vehicle, and he was denied consent. Lt. Hover’s partner K-9 Lex was then deployed to conduct a free air sniff around the outer area of the vehicle, where he alerted on the driver door area. Officers now had consented to the search of the vehicle and conducted a search. During the search, officers located a rubber container (containing cocaine) lying under the driver’s seat. Barton, the owner of the vehicle, was asked about it. He stated that it was Finley. According to the report, “When Finley was asked about it, he stated that it wasn’t his. As the search continued, officers located a large bag of marijuana between the passenger seat (where Finley was sitting) and the center console. A book bag was located in the back seat that belonged to the driver (Barton), and it contained marijuana and another rubber container containing possible DAB (THC extract). Both Barton and Finley were then arrested and transported to the Floyd County Jail. The narcotics were turned over to Drug Task Force. Finley was found to have a large roll of cash (unknown amount) in his pants pocket but it was recovered by a GBI agent on the scene. Barton was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, and possession of a schedule I controlled substance. Finley was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, possession of a schedule I controlled substance, possession of meth with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession and distribution of controlled substances.
Rome men arrested on felony drug charges after Floyd County K-9 alerts to cocaine during traffic stop
