In last year’s Democratic primary for the Tennessee House District 28 seat, Brandon Woodruff came in a respectable third with about 16 percent of the vote. The former candidate did not fare nearly as well in a recent encounter with the Chattanooga Police Department.
Woodruff was on E. 37th Street when he was pulled over for allegedly driving across the center line several times while behind the wheel of a vehicle with an expired registration, according to a report in the Times Free Press. The 26-year-old was arrested on drug charges and weapons charges during the traffic stop.
The police officer wrote in his report that there was a “strong odor of air freshener” coming from the former candidate’s vehicle. Woodruff apparently held up a container of BluntPower air freshener and told the officer he had just sprayed his car.
Woodruff told the officer that he had a firearm in the glove compartment. The officer asked him and the female passenger to exit the vehicle while it was searched. The officer said he found a partially smoked marijuana cigarette, the firearm in the glove compartment and a second loaded firearm in a duffel bag. He also found “a baggie with weed residue” and some cash, he wrote in his report.
Woodruff was arrested on several charges: possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm with intent to go armed, possession of a handgun while under the influence and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also cited for driving an unregistered vehicle.
His passenger was cited for misdemeanor simple possession, the Times Free Press reported.
Those facing drug-related or weapons-related charges should decline to speak to prosecutors until they have spoken with a Chattanooga criminal defense lawyer skilled in protecting rights and freedom.
