A Guyton man is in Bryan County Jail on weapons, drugs and counterfeiting charges after he was allegedly spotted driving a pickup with an expired license plate.

Brian White, 31, of a Highway 17 address in Guyton, is charged with possession of various drugs, including hydrocodone, zolpidem tartrate, meth, firearms, forgery and an expired license plate, according to a report by BCSO K-9 Officer Ernesto Nieves.

Here's what led up to the arrest. 

The report said Nieves saw an empty Dodge pickup at a pump at the Parkers on Highway 80 in Blitchton around 3:20 a.m. Tuesday, ran the tag and learned it had expired Aug. 10.

Less than 10 minutes later, Nieves report said he saw the same pickup driven from Parkers and head north on Eldora Road. He pulled the pickup over and identified the driver as White, who “stated the vehicle was not his and that he was unaware the license plate had expired.”

Nieves said he told White “of the known drug activity in the area and asked for White to consent to search his vehicle for contraband,” the report said. “White stated that he was not comfortable providing consent because the vehicle was not his. At that time, I asked White to shut the vehicle off and exit the vehicle and advised him that I was a K-9 officer and advised him of my intention to have my dog do an open air sniff of the vehicle.”
Neives' report said White got out, was patted down and was asked to remain with another deputy at the front of Nieve’s vehicle while the K-9 dog was walked around the pickup.

The report said the drug dog gave the alert on a black back laying on the center console, which Nieves said gave him “probable cause” to search the pickup.

As he started the search, Nieves said White told him there was a pistol inside the driver’s and passenger seat, and Nieves found a Walther CCP 9MM with a live round in the chamber.

“At that time, due to the positive alert for narcotics and the presence of a firearm, I placed White in handcuffs and advised him that he was being detained,” Nieves’ report said.

The deputy continued to search the vehicle, and found “what appeared to be a large amount of U.S. currency,” and various pills as well as a “crystal like substance which looked like methamphetamine.”

White was told he was under arrest, the report said.

Also found during a search was the ID of the registered owner of the vehicle, an unloaded.25 caliber pistol and a .22 caliber revolver, with its cylinder open. Inside were four live rounds and one spent round, the report said.

A field test of the meth came back with a positive result, and it, the pistols, the pills and the money “were taken into evidence,” Nieves report said, noting a wrecker was called.

While processing the evidence, deputies allegedly found “the U.S.  currency notes were counterfeit due to repeated serial numbers on several of the notes, the texture of the paper, and the lack of water marks.”

The counterfeit money added up to $1,300 in various denominations, according to the report.