PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A vehicle observed traveling at a high rate of speed and making improper lanes changes resulted in an arrest and the discovery of drugs over the weekend in Putnam County, officials said.

According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Dodge Ram after spotting the vehicle making an "erratic and unsafe lane change" near the I-40 exit on Highway 11.

The driver of the Ram—later identified as Ronald Allen Roper of Glasgow, Kentucky— reportedly showed signs of impairment, was incoherent in his responses and claimed to suffer from undiagnosed narcoleptic episodes.

Officials said the Kentucky man added that he had been stopped in Sparta, Tennessee, earlier that day for similar driving behavior.

When the deputy requested Roper to get out of the vehicle and empty his pockets, a uncapped syringe containing clear liquid reportedly fell out of his pockets. Roper allegedly admitted that the substance in the syringe was "speed."

Inside the vehicle, deputies said they found another syringe with clear liquid, a digital scale and approximately 23.75 grams of a white crystal-like substance.

The Kentucky man was taken into custody and charged with manufacture, delivery and sale of methamphetamine, as well as possession of drug paraphernalia.

Roper was jailed on a $61,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, May 21.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/erratic-driving-leads-to-drug-arrest-in-putnam-county/