Lee County arrest warrant issued for Georgia man accused of drug charge when deputy checked stranded vehicle

A Lee County arrest warrant is being issued for a Georgia man who failed to appear in court Wednesday on a drug charge filed against him after a deputy stopped to check on a stranded vehicle near Amboy two months ago.

Michael T. Whigham, 56, of Cairo, Georgia, is charged with unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He is one of three men from out of state who were charged after a Lee County sheriff’s deputy stopped to check on their stranded vehicle. According to court documents, deputies found various controlled substances, drug paraphernalia and a pipe bomb inside the stranded vehicle the men were occupying Jan. 16 near U.S. 30 and Inlet Road.

On Wednesday, Whigham was scheduled to appear at 10 a.m. before Lee County Associate Judge Matthew T. Klahn, but he did not show up. A warrant is being issued for his arrest, according to the Lee County Circuit Clerk’s Office.

Dennis L. Weaver, 52, of Cairo, also faces charges related to the Jan. 16 vehicle search. He’s charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony; unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony; and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, court records show.

Dennis L. Weaver, 52, of Georgia, is charged in Lee County with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony; unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony; and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. (Provided By Lee County Sheriff's Office)

Weaver did appear in court via Zoom earlier Wednesday morning before Lee County Circuit Judge Jacquelyn D. Ackert. Ackert appointed the public defender’s office to Weaver’s case and scheduled his preliminary hearing for 8:30 a.m. March 18.

A preliminary hearing is where a judge determines if there is enough evidence against a defendant to proceed toward a trial.

The third man facing charges related to the vehicle stop is Ruben Perez, 48, of Dothan, Alabama.

Ruben Perez, 48, of Dothan, Alabama, is charged in Lee County with two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon/body armor by a felon, a Class X felony; unlawful possession of an explosive device, a Class 1 felony; and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 3 felony; and two misdemeanors, unlawful possession of an assault weapon and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. (Provided By Lee County Sheriff's Office)

Perez is charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon/body armor by a felon, a Class X felony; unlawful possession of an explosive device, a Class 1 felony; and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 3 felony; and two misdemeanors: unlawful possession of an assault weapon and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Lee County Jail.

Perez is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. April 9 before Ackert. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing Jan. 21 and has been denied pretrial release.

A fourth person who was in the vehicle has not been charged.

The vehicle stop: what we know

The evening of Jan. 16, a Lee County sheriff’s deputy stopped to assist a black 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe with Georgia license plates that was disabled. While speaking with the four occupants, the deputy saw items used for ingesting narcotics; police searched the vehicle and found a ballistic vest, various controlled substances and drug paraphernalia, according to the sheriff’s office.

A backpack and luggage were taken from the scene and searched at the Lee County Law Enforcement Center. Inside the backpack, police found a homemade pipe bomb along with various rounds and calibers of ammunition, according to police.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad was called in to examine the bomb, and technicians found it to contain a fine powder and numerous screws. A robotic device was used to remove the item from the Lee County facility, and it was safely destroyed, according to police.