A recent traffic stop initiated by an observant Tyrone Police officer led to the arrest of a Marietta man carrying a sawed-off shotgun.

Steven Lyle, 24, was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and a seatbelt violation, according to Tyrone Police spokesperson Alicia Batts.

The Oct. 15 arrest came after Officer Shawn Albea conducted a traffic stop at Senoia Road and Palmetto Tyrone Road when noticing that Lyle was not wearing a seatbelt, Batts said. The officer smelled what appeared to be burning marijuana as he approached the vehicle driven by Lyle, she said. Albea asked Lyle for his license and was told he did not have it with him, Batts said. A check through the state system revealed that the license had been suspended on failure to appear charges, said Batts.

Albea asked the passenger, who was also the owner of the vehicle, if he could search the car. The woman initially refused, then agreed, that the vehicle could be searched. That search led to the discovery of a loaded, 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun behind the driver’s seat, said Batts. Lyle was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.

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