Sep. 26—A Decatur man was taken into custody Wednesday following a July traffic stop in which officers discovered synthetic urine, stolen credit cards and a secret compartment with drugs inside, according to the Priceville Police Department.
On July 21 at 9:55 p.m., police said, they initiated a traffic stop on 38-year-old Christopher Matthew Tennyson near Alabama 67 at Mountain Valley Road.
During the stop, officers discovered multiple identification documents and credit cards that did not belong to Tennyson, along with the synthetic urine and drug paraphernalia. Methamphetamine was also found concealed in a hidden compartment behind the vehicle’s stereo.
All contraband was confiscated, according to police, and Tennyson was released pending further investigation. On Aug. 30, police said arrest warrants were issued for Tennyson on multiple charges, including trafficking in stolen identities; unlawful possession of a controlled substance; operating a vehicle with a false or secret compartment; manufacture, sale, or use of synthetic urine; and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Priceville police served these warrants at the Cullman County Jail on Wednesday, where Tennyson was already in custody, and he was then transported to Morgan County Jail. He remained in jail Thursday in lieu of a $30,600 bond, according to jail records.
Court records show Tennyson has a history of theft-related convictions in Morgan County dating back to 2022. In November 2022, he pleaded guilty to first-degree theft and breaking into a vehicle, receiving a 90-day suspended jail term for theft and a suspended 90-month sentence with 36 months of probation for the vehicle break-in.
Records show Tennyson was arrested on Nov. 13, 2023, for allegedly breaking into a house in Falkville in September and stealing the title and keys to a 2001 Honda Accord that belonged to a resident. He later pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary for that incident in October 2024 and was sentenced to three years in jail, with most of the sentence suspended and 12 months of probation.
— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.