HCSO NARRATIVE:
“Two suspects were arrested on drug charges following a pre-dawn traffic stop on Browns Bridge Road Tuesday, August 5, 2025.
Around 2:45 a.m., Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies on regular patrol noticed a Ford pickup truck with no tag light traveling on Browns Bridge Road. The deputies initiated a traffic stop and the driver of the truck came to a stop on Hudgins Street. As deputies were speaking with the driver and his passenger, one of them noticed a large knife wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console. The driver informed the deputies he also had a handgun in the vehicle. Both the driver and the passenger exited the vehicle upon deputies’ orders.
The driver gave permission for deputies to conduct a search of his vehicle. During the course of the search, the deputies located methamphetamine, a misdemeanor amount of marijuana and assorted pieces of drug-related paraphernalia.
As a result, both the driver and the passenger were arrested on the charges outline below:
Michael Gene Braden (driver), 29, of Fairmount:
· Possession of methamphetamine (less than one gram of meth in a glass pipe)
· Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
· Possession of drug-related objects
· Possession of less than one ounce of marijuana
· Tag light violation
David Lee Scott Drum (passenger), 53, of Jasper (homeless)
· Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute (15.6 grams)
· Possession of drug-related objects
· Possession of less than one ounce of marijuana
Both men remain in the Hall County Jail with no bond at this time.”