Two Hilton Head Island men charged with cocaine possession

Two Hilton Head Island men were arrested Saturday after Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputies said they found suspected cocaine in their possession.

Jessie Hamilton, 38, was charged with first-degree possession of cocaine after he was pulled over in the area of Muddy Creek and Spanish Wells Road around 10 p.m. Saturday, according to a sheriff’s office report.

A deputy on patrol pulled Hamilton over after spotting the vehicle drive left-of-center briefly, the report said.

When approached, Hamilton had a plastic bag containing a white substance in his lap, and was “salivating and had an excess amount of saliva in the corners of his mouth,” the report said. White powder was also located on the interior of Hamilton’s nostrils, according to the report.

The white substance tested positive for a cocaine base, the report said. Hamilton was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center and is being held on a $5,000 bond, according to jail records.

In the other arrest, Corey Tate, 23, was charged Saturday with first-degree cocaine possession after deputies pulled over the vehicle he drove on Greenwood drive around 1:30 a.m., according to a sheriff’s office report.

When deputies approached the vehicle, Tate held a small plastic baggie containing a white powdery substance, the report said.

After deputies asked Tate if he had any other substances, he told them he had an additional plastic baggie of cocaine in his back pocket, the report said. The amount of the suspected cocaine totaled .9 grams, according to the report.

A passenger inside the vehicle told deputies he was in possession of marijuana, which was located on the passenger-side floorboard of the vehicle, the report said.

Tate was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center and released Monday after posting a $5,000 bond, according to Beaufort County court records.

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Two Hilton Head Island men charged with cocaine possession."