Local officers are searching for a man who fled the vehicle he was riding in during a traffic stop on Saturday.

The man, Dontavious D. Hicks, 28, of a Fowlstown Road address, was a passenger in the vehicle and fled the scene on foot after the traffic stop.

Bainbridge Public Safety Officer Rob Green pulled the vehicle over on Green Street around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. After seeing a bag containing several smaller bags of suspected marijuana while talking to the driver, Green asked the driver for identification.

The driver provided a name to Green and said that the vehicle did not belong to him. Green then asked him to step out of the vehicle. An identification card in the man’s pocket showed a different name than what he told Green, and he said the identification card belonged to his brother. After running both names through the E911 system, it was determined that he had originally provided a false name and was actually the man listed on the identification card, Willie James Crockett, a convicted felon.

Green performed a search of the vehicle. Underneath the passenger seat he located a small digital scale and a black Ruger Lc9 handgun, which had been placed inside of a plastic grocery bag. Located in the back seat, Green found a red bag containing a Jennings .380 handgun with a serial number that had been removed with a file.

Crockett, 43, was arrested and charged with:

Possession of a Firearm during Commission of a Crime (Felony)

Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (Felony)

Criminal Use of an Article with an Altered Identification Mark (Felony)

Possession, Sale, Manufacture, or Distribution of a Controlled Substance (Felony)

Investigator Mark Esquivel was called to the scene when it was discovered Hicks was at large.

Officers are currently attempting to locate Hicks. If anyone has information as to his whereabouts, they are asked to contact Investigator Mark Esquivel at (229) 248-2038. You may remain anonymous.

You can also submit an anonymous crime tip on bainbridgecity.com