A couple has been arrested after their vehicle was stopped while passing through Chattanooga and a $30,000 bag of heroin was found inside.
Patrick J. Winters and Jessica M. Harris are facing federal drug charges.
On Thursday at 12:30 a.m., Officer Jason Duggan of the Chattanooga Police Department spotted a Nissan Sentra traveling on I-75 72 mph in a 55 mph. Ms. Harris was driving and Winters was the only passenger.
The officer asked for consent to search the vehicle, and Ms. Harris refused. Winters tried to flee, but was tased.
Officer Duggan used his K9 partner Red to sniff the outside of the vehicle. The dog alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A search was then conducted and the heroin was found in a duffle bag in the back seat.
Ms. Harris said Winters had asked her to travel with him from Atlanta to Chicago. She said he was going to pay her for the trip and he deposited over $300 in her bank account. She said before they left Atlanta he went to a residence and was inside for about an hour while she waited in the car.
Police said Winters has an extensive record of evading arrest and resisting arrest and has one conviction for assault on a police officer.
Winters declined to give a statement.
The pair face a preliminary hearing on Wednesday at 10 a.m. before Federal Magistrate Court Judge Bill Carter.
Ms. Harris was released, but Winters remains in custody.