By Shavonne Potts

shavonne.potts@salisburypost.com

Authorities charged a Charlotte man and a Vanceboro man with marijuana trafficking Thursday afternoon in a joint traffic operation on Interstate 85. Officials seized more than 15 pounds of marijuana valued around $60,000.

Salisbury Police charged Courtney Cornell Roach, 29, of the 8200 block of Ridge Cliff Drive, Charlotte and Amos Allen Pollard Jr., 34, of the 9300 block of N.C. 43 South, Vanceboro.

The operation involved the Police Department’s street crime unit and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office Aggressive Crime Enforcement (ACE) team.

Officers pulled over a silver Honda Accord with an obscured license plate. The vehicle stopped and a police dog searched around the vehicle. The dog alerted, and when the officers asked the occupants, later identified as Pollard and Roach, to exit the vehicle the driver sped off.

The driver, Pollard, drove on Long Ferry Road and Leonard Road and struck a tree at Bean Road. When the car stopped, the driver tried to take off and nearly collided head-on with a patrol car. The passenger, Roach, jumped out and ran into a wooded area with a large bag. He was caught a short time later. Officers found 15.6 pounds of marijuana inside the bag and $260 in cash.

Roach was charged with misdemeanor resist, obstruct, delay an officer and two counts felony trafficking marijuana.

Pollard was charged with two counts felony trafficking marijuana, one count felony maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances and one count felony fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle.

Pollard remains in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $215,000 secured bond and Roach remains under a $200,000 secured bond.

Pollard was convicted of larceny, possession/purchase of wine by person under 21 and possession with intent to sell a schedule VI substance from multiple separate incidents.

Roach also has pending cases in Pitt County that include misdemeanor marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia as well as driving while impaired and a 30-day automatic license revocation.

Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.