Man arrested and charged with drug possession after traffic stop

Myrtle Beach police arrested a man and charged him with simple possession of marijuana after police said he was stopped because of an improper traffic signal, according to a police report.

Police stopped Johnny Wayne Stephens, 49, about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday in the area of South Kings Highway and Eighth Avenue South, authorities said.

Officers said when they approached his car there was a faint marijuana smell, and they found a small amount of marijuana in the ashtray.

Authorities said they ran Stephens name through police information systems and noticed that he had an outstanding bench warrant and that his driver’s license had been suspended for failure to pay traffic tickets, according to the report.

Stephens was taken to the Myrtle Beach Jail where he was charged with simple possession of marijuana and driving under suspension. He was also issued a citation for improper signal.

This story was originally published February 18, 2015 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Man arrested and charged with drug possession after traffic stop."