On Thursday, March 6, 2025, at approximately 10:40 A.M., deputies were patrolling the 100 block of Bedgood Road in Arabi, GA, when they observed a vehicle parked off the roadway in an uninhabited area, facing some brush. The officers approached the vehicle and noticed someone leaning over in the driver’s seat. After knocking on the driver’s window several times, the driver woke up. When asked for identification, the driver began searching through the front seat and informed the officers that he did not have his driver’s license. He identified himself as Coby Pate and explained that he had been collecting scrap metal from dirt roads and old abandoned houses. There were several catalytic converters in the rear seat, which are often stolen from vehicles after being cut off.

Pate consented to a search of the vehicle. A glass pipe commonly used for consuming illegal narcotics was visible in the driver’s door. Under Pate’s wallet in the center console was a .22 Magnum revolver containing four .22 Magnum bullets and one .22 LR bullet. Pate also had an outstanding probation warrant. As a result, he was placed in handcuffs and asked if he had any weapons or illegal contraband on his person. He admitted that he had drugs in his pocket, specifically in the shorts under his pants.

In Pate’s front right pocket was a paper towel containing a clear plastic bag with a crystal substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine. Pate was then transported to the Crisp County Detention Center, and a wrecker service arrived to tow the vehicle.

Coby Pate, a 22-year-old male from Arabi, Ga is charged with the following:

• Possession of Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine)

• Probation Violation

• Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon

• Possession of Firearm During Commission of a Crime