Bluffton cop stops driver. Driver runs. Deputy tackles him, finds suspected cocaine

A Hilton Head Island man was charged with trafficking cocaine after he was pulled over and attempted to run from a deputy before he was tackled in a parking lot.

Terrence Wallace, 31, was charged with trafficking cocaine, fleeing to evade arrest and possession of marijuana on Tuesday after he was pulled over around 8:30 p.m. on U.S. 278 near Malphrus Road for allegedly driving with an unsecured load in the back of his vehicle, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.

When the deputy stopped the vehicle, Wallace jumped from it and ran through the parking lot at South State Bank, the report said..

The deputy tackled him in the bank’s parking lot.

A search of Wallace’s person revealed a large bulge in his left pocket. The deputy also noted the scent of marijuana. Inside the pocket was a white powdery substance the deputy believed to be cocaine and a bag of suspected marijuana, the report said.

A K-9 unit was called to the scene and the dog scratched at the front driver’s side door of the vehicle that Wallace fled from. Deputies found a ripped plastic bag inside that had small “leaves” of marijuana on the passenger floorboard. They also found a scale underneath the front passenger seat and a plastic bag containing more white powder believed to be cocaine on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

A test at the scene revealed that the white powder had a cocaine base and was measured to be a total of 252 grams, the report said.

Wallace was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center where he was released on Wednesday after posting bail on a $51,702.50 bond, according to detention center and Beaufort County Court records.

This story was originally published September 1, 2017 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Bluffton cop stops driver. Driver runs. Deputy tackles him, finds suspected cocaine."