Jan. 7—A Georgia man who turned off the lights of his Mercedes and drove at speeds over 105 mph to flee an attempted traffic stop Saturday evening was later arrested and found with THC edibles, according to the Priceville Police Department.
Tajinder Singh Mahil, 20, of Dacula, is charged with felony attempt to elude, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and several traffic violations, Priceville police said. Jail records showed Mahil was released from the Morgan County Jail early Sunday on a $17,500 bond.
Priceville police said they tried to stop Mahil’s black Mercedes-Benz S550 at around 7:30 p.m. for “multiple traffic violations” as it traveled north on Interstate 65, near mile marker 333.
A Priceville officer’s affidavit, sworn Sunday, says the officer attempted to stop the Mercedes for changing lanes without a signal and reckless driving.
The Mercedes then “rapidly accelerated and turned off its lights,” according to the affidavit, and fled onto Alabama 67 South “at speeds over 105 mph in the 50-mph legal maximum speed limit zone.”
“Trying to catch up to a black Mercedes, blacked out, heading toward the Raceway at (Alabama) 67,” an officer told dispatch at around 7:20 p.m., according to scanner traffic.
The affidavit says police lost visual contact with the Mercedes until it was relocated, with the help of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, near Friendship Road, and the driver was identified as Mahil.
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said assisting deputies located the vehicle exiting a neighborhood near Cove Creek Drive.
The Priceville officer’s affidavit claims police had probable cause to search Mahil’s vehicle “based on the odor of raw and burnt marijuana emitting from the vehicle,” and Mahil admitted there were “THC concentrates in edible form” inside the vehicle.
The edibles weighed almost 16 grams, according to the affidavit.
Until recently, the maximum penalty for fleeing law enforcement in Alabama was a Class A misdemeanor. Changes to the state law in September 2023 made attempting to elude a Class C felony if, while fleeing, the offender strikes another vehicle or pedestrian or causes physical injury to any other person. Offenders who flee in excess of 20 mph over the speed limit or cause “serious” physical injury are subject to a Class B felony.
Court records on Monday showed Mahil is charged with Class C felony attempt to elude.
Priceville police have stepped up interceptions along I-65, which runs through the town, since Jerry Holmes took over as police chief in 2022. Such interceptions have resulted in the seizure of over $2 million worth of illegal drugs, around $100,000 in cash, and vehicles and firearms, according to Holmes.
Seized assets related to alleged drug crimes are often subject to condemnation proceedings in civil court prior to a defendant’s criminal conviction. The state has a lower burden of proof in civil cases than in criminal cases. If and when the state wins a civil condemnation case, seized cash is split between the DA’s office and the arresting agency. Vehicles are typically given to the arresting agency. Law enforcement officials say the practice is a useful tool for fighting the drug trade.
Unlike criminal defendants, civil defendants are not guaranteed court-appointed counsel if they can’t afford a lawyer. Because of this, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, many civil defendants don’t contest asset forfeitures in court — either because they can’t afford to, or because it’s often cheaper to simply let the property go.
On Monday, a Morgan County assistant district attorney filed condemnation proceedings against a man who was arrested on Dec. 20 by Priceville police, on I-65, and charged with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. The man has not been convicted of the criminal charge.
The condemnation complaint, according to Monday’s filing, seeks to take the defendant’s 2021 Dodge Challenger and Glock handgun and give it to the Priceville Police Department for their “use in the enforcement of law.”
— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.