A 63-year-old Summerville man was arrested on multiple drug charges last week after a traffic stop revealed a cache of narcotics and paraphernalia.

According to a police report, on March 26th, 2025, at approximately 11:27 PM, a Summerville Police Officer observed a bronze 1999 Chevrolet S10 pickup truck traveling northbound on Highway 114. The officer noted that the driver, later identified as Alton Roan, was not wearing a seatbelt. After initiating a traffic stop on Bellah Avenue, the officer made contact with Roan and a female passenger, 18-year-old Laney Smith. Roan admitted to not having a valid driver’s license, which was subsequently confirmed as revoked by dispatch. Further investigation revealed the vehicle’s license plate was registered to a different vehicle, a red 2003 Mini Cooper.

During a search of the vehicle, with Roan’s consent, officers discovered two rolled-up cigarettes containing a suspected marijuana substance in the ashtray and under the driver’s side floor mat. A search of Roan also yielded a pack of cigarettes containing torn clear plastic baggies, commonly used for packaging narcotics, and a white paper towel with black markings, often associated with cleaning drug paraphernalia. Roan initially denied knowledge of the items, claiming they were related to his work, but eventually admitted they were for methamphetamine use. Continuing the search, officers located a cylinder-shaped object with a burnt tube containing a white crystalline substance, suspected to be methamphetamine, hidden within a toolbox in the truck bed.

Roan was arrested and transported to the Chattooga County Jail, charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession and use of drug-related objects. Smith was released to her mother at the scene.

The suspected methamphetamine field-tested positive and was placed in evidence