COVINGTON, Ga. – Police charged a Covington man with misdemeanor marijuana possession Monday afternoon after smelling the pot while unlocking his car.

According to a Covington Police Department incident report, Officer Dave Stewart was dispatched to the Magnolia Heights Apartment complex Jan. 6 in reference to keys locked in a vehicle. At the scene, he was met by Reginald Thomas, 27, who told Stewart he must have left his keys in his bag when he put it in the trunk and the doors locked when he closed the trunk.

Stewart wrote in his report, "The vehicle was a 2006 black Dodge Challenger and as I began to unlock the vehicle by pushing the plastic wedge in the window frame, I detected a strong odor of marijuana.

“I was able to get the vehicle unlocked and the smell of marijuana was continually strong coming from inside the vehicle.”

Thomas was detained in handcuffs while Stewart and Officer Brandon Wilkerson searched the car, finding a blue metal butter cookie tin inside Thomas’ gym bag along with his car keys. Inside the tin, officers reportedly found a plastic baggie containing a green, leafy substance suspected of being marijuana.

According to the report, Thomas was transported to the Newton County Jail and issued a citation for possession of marijuana less than an ounce.