A local man was been charged with illegally possessing a syringe after police stopped a vehicle he was in on Christmas Eve for having a suspicious license plate.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Schonfeld stopped a black Ford Crown Victoria in the 200 block of Coffey Hill Road on Dec. 24. James M.C. Mitchell, 27, of Lambert Hill Lane, was inside, and the plate on the car did not match any vehicle on file, a probable cause affidavit states.

Schonfeld saw the car in downtown Nashville while he was transporting an inmate to the Brown County jail and was unable to make a stop at that time, the affidavit states. The vehicle pulled into a gas station and Schonfeld was able to find it again east of downtown after dropping the inmate off.

Schonfeld saw Mitchell in the front passenger seat and three other people in the car with him. Schonfeld knew Mitchell’s driver’s license was suspended, the report said. Mitchell told the officer he had just bought the vehicle, but all of his paperwork was at a relative’s house.

Schonfeld noted in his report that Mitchell was animated, could not sit still and could not stay focused while he was talking with him.

The man who had been driving the vehicle when it was stopped told police that Mitchell had driven it to the gas station and he had asked him to drive afterwards, the report said.

A wrecker was called to the scene. While inventorying the vehicle, Schonfeld reported finding a digital scale with white residue on it between the back seat cushions. He also found a used syringe and two spoons with burn marks underneath the seat in a fast food bag, the report said.

All occupants denied owning the items. When asked about the items, Mitchell became “agitated” and said they were not his. He also denied driving to the gas station, the report said.

He was charged Jan. 24 with unlawful possession of a syringe, a Level 6 felony; driving while suspended, a Class A misdemeanor; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.