Traffic stop leads to THC oil cartridge bust; teen charged

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Police said they found dozens of cartridges of THC oil when they pulled over a teen for speeding.

Investigators with the Hall County Sheriff's Office told Channel 2's Richard Elliot the 17-year-old driver had processed marijuana and dozens of THC oil cartridges inside his car when they pulled him over last week.

“As the parent of a teenager, I’m concerned,” Hall County Deputy Lt. Scott Ware told Elliot.

Law enforcement officers across the state say they’re seeing more kids vaping dangerous substances, including THC oil. THC is the chemical in marijuana that causes a high.

Ware said the Sheriff’s Office arrested Christian Diaz after they found 44 vaping cartridges full of THC oil. There were so many, they didn’t just charge him with possession, they charged him with felony intent to distribute.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Man accused of attacking QT employee, customers after trying to steal phone
• Jealous boyfriend at center of deadly triple shooting, police say
• Hawks legend's Rolls-Royce vandalized outside famous Atlanta restaurant

“What we’ve seen locally, and I think in other counties, kids have actually had to go to the hospital based on adverse reaction from vaping,” Ware said.

Channel 2 Action News was there last month when a South Paulding High School sophomore got sick after vaping what they thought was THC oil.

In March, we covered a story about a Butts County teenager who vaped THC and collapsed.

Kelly Bagwell used to teach high school in Hall County and has two teenage sons. Her boys don’t do it, but she says she’s seen kids of all ages vaping.

“It’s an epidemic,” Bagwell said. “It’s really common. It’s all the way down to middle school. It’s not just a high school epidemic."

Other parents said they were glad to hear about the arrest and wonder if more may be coming.

“I’d like to know where he got it. I mean, somebody around here is obviously manufacturing it,” parent Carolyn Nooney told Elliot.

“He has it all coming to him, you know? You get caught, you have that much on you,” said Marvin Olson.

Diaz is currently out on bond.

Deputies told Elliot that they took the THC cartridges to the state crime lab for testing.

Cox Media Group