A Rockdale County Sheriff's Office deputy uncovered more than $23,000 in cash and 4.6 pounds of marijuana stuffed into a car and underwear during a routine traffic stop Tuesday night on Interstate 20.

The driver, Michael Rawshawn Preston, 35, of Conyers was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and failure to maintain lane.

Shortly before 10:30 p.m., RCSO deputy Jason Heyman saw a red Chevrolet Captiva heading eastbound on I-20 weaving in and out of the left and middle lanes. The deputy pulled up alongside, at which point Preston slowed from 73 miles per hour to 46 miles per hour. The deputy turned on his blue lights and Preston turned on his right turn blinker and crossed into the emergency lane. He then crossed back into the right lane and back into the emergency lane several times until they were in Newton County.

Eventually, Preston slowed to rolling stop. As Heyman walked up, he could smell raw marijuana. He also noticed the car was still in "drive." He told Preston to put the car in park, but Preston "continued looking around ignoring my instruction."
The deputy reached inside the passenger side front and unlocked the door and Preston put the car in park and exited the vehicle.

When Preston was asked if he had any weapons on him, he responded "huh." This was also his answer to several other questions such as why it took him so long to pull over.
During a patdown for weapons, the deputy found two large clear plastic bags with raw marijuana in Preston's underwear.

"I then located large bundles of US paper currency in Preston's front right pants pocket and both rear pockets. I asked Preston if he knows the total amount of money that I had just removed from his pockets, to which he stated ‘huh.' I asked him a second time, to which he stated ‘about five grand.'"

Deputy Heyman also found a large blue duffle bag in the back seat with more bags of raw marijuana. More cash was found in the center console of the car and the driver's door pocket.
The cash totaled $23,398 and the marijuana totaled about 4.6 pounds.

Preston had faced at least three previous drug charges in Rockdale from 1996 to 2000.