A Dawson County man was arrested by local law enforcement for allegedly possessing an illegal handgun, drugs and drug paraphernalia after a recent traffic stop on Ga. 400.

Joshua Wayne Teems Sr., 33, of Dawsonville, was arrested on Dec. 22 after the vehicle he was a passenger in was stopped on Ga. 400, north of Browns Bridge Road, and he allegedly admitted to deputies that he possessed the illegal items, according to a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office incident report.

The report states that under the front passenger seat of the vehicle deputies found a “small red bag” allegedly containing two methamphetamine pipes and a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber handgun.

According to sheriff’s office spokesman Cpl. Doug Rainwater, upon further inspection of the weapon, deputies discovered that the weapon’s serial number had been filed down and removed, making it an illegal weapon.

After this fact was discovered, Teems allegedly admitted that all of the items were his and later admitted to having prior knowledge of the weapon’s illegal state, allegedly stating that he had “traded drugs for the gun and it was like that when he got it,” the report states.

Rainwater stated that illegal weapons such as the one recovered in this incident are taken very seriously by law enforcement because they are practically untraceable and are often sought out by individuals who intend to use them for illegal purposes.

"Your normal criminal doesn't take the time to do stuff like that," Rainwater said. "That's just a different level, in terms of your commitment to making sure that nobody can track a gun." 

Teems has been charged by the sheriff’s office with fraud, altering the identification of a weapon, possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a felony, weapon possession by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine.

He is being held in the Forsyth County Jail under a $40,060 bond.