A shoplifting suspect now faces drug charges after his arrest over the weekend in Clayton.
The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office charged 56-year-old Paris Nichols with possession of methamphetamine. Police arrested him Sunday after he allegedly fled from the Clayton Tractor Supply store with a stolen jump box.
Investigators say a clerk tried to stop Nichols before he left the store. An off-duty sheriff’s deputy shopping with his young daughter witnessed the struggle and saw Nichols flee in a black pickup truck. The deputy alerted the Clayton Police Department about the incident, and officers stopped the suspect vehicle less than two miles north of the store at the intersection of GA 15/US 441 and US 76.
Coordinated response
According to investigators, police found a jump box in the vehicle matching the serial number on the empty box left at Tractor Supply. They arrested Nichols but released the driver, whom investigators determined was unaware of the theft.
While booking Nichols at the county jail, deputies discovered he had hidden a prescription pill bottle containing meth inside his body. In addition to drug possession, officers charged him with crossing guard lines with drugs and theft by shoplifting.
As of early Monday morning, May 20, Nichols remained in jail.
“We know that theft and drugs often accompany each other, and this incident is no different,” says RCSO Investigator and spokesperson Kevin Angell. “RCSO deputies and investigators work hard to follow up on cases like these as part of our continued effort to remove drugs from our community.”
Angell credits the coordinated response and quick action by Clayton police and deputies in making the arrest.
“We’re doing a lot more together. There are a lot more coordinated efforts on things, and we’re seeing more joint arrests,” he says. “It’s a whole county effort with these agencies working together and sharing information. Definitely, we’re doubling down on our ability to stop crime.”
