Man's Escape Attempt Fails When Pants Fall to His Ankles

An attempt to avoid arrest ended badly for a Fairburn, Ga. man during an April 18 traffic stop on I-85 near Hamilton Mill Road.

While patrolling I-85 northbound, a Gwinnett County Police officer spotted a black Ford Explorer closely following another vehicle. After the Explorer crossed over the right fog line, the officer initiated a traffic stop just north of Hamilton Mill Road.

Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer immediately noticed the odor of raw marijuana. The officer asked the driver, Frank Mathis, 30, of Riverdale, Ga., to step out of the vehicle.

"I noticed that he appeared overly nervous, with his hands physically shaken [sic]," the officer wrote in the report. A check of Mathis' identification indicated he was on probation for aggravated assault.

Based on Mathis' behavior and the smell of raw marijuana, the officer requested backup in order to conduct a probable cause search of the vehicle. The two passengers, Eunice Lydell, 40, of Duluth, and Travis Milam, 32, of Fairburn, were asked to step out of the vehicle and stand with the backup officer. Milam identified himself as "Jonathan Mathis." Frank Mathis also referred to Milam as "Jonathan" and said he was his brother.

During the search, the officer found blunt spray, Owl cigarillos, 5 grams of suspected marijuana and an envelope containing 43 checks totaling $18,787 made out to Anthony Mills, Corey Williams, Carlos Williams and Miranda Ingram. The envelope also contained three driver's licenses with the same three male names. The pictures on the licenses, however, reportedly appeared to be those of Mathis and Milam. 

The officer asked the backup officer to place Lydell and Milam into his patrol vehicle while the matter was further investigated. Before the officer could do so, Milam began running down the hill toward the back of Kohl's.

"I gave chase advising the suspect to stop running several times," the officer wrote in the report. "The suspect continued for approximately 500 yards and rounded the corner of Kohl's, where he tripped over his pants, which had fell [sic] around his ankles."

Milam allegedly crawled toward the wood line and sat down. When told to place his hands behind his back, he reportedly refused.

"I made contact with the suspect in an attempt to turn him on his back, however he pushed violently towards my chest and arms area," the report stated. "I disengaged and chemically treated the suspect with my department issued pepper spray."

After a brief struggle, the officer was able to place Milam in handcuffs.

Milam, Mathis and Lydell were all placed under arrest and transported to the Gwinnett County Jail. Their vehicle was impounded.

Milam was booked into the jail on charges of theft by receiving, obstruction, giving false name or information, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, false identification documents and second-degree forgery. He remains jailed without bond.

Mathis was booked on charges of following too closely, obstruction, false identification documents, second-degree forgery and less than an ounce of marijuana. He is also being held for another agency and remains jailed.

Lydell was booked on charges of theft by receiving, second-degree forgery and possession of marijuana. She also remains jailed. Bond has been set at $8,850.

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