CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. — A routine traffic stop for an improperly displayed license plate on Dec. 15, 2025, led to the arrest of two Arkansas men after deputies discovered guns, drugs, and stolen property.
The driver, 41-year-old Demario Hervey of Alexander, Arkansas, and passenger 43-year-old Samuel Gause of Jacksonville, Arkansas, were pulled over in the early morning hours. Body camera footage shows deputies explaining that the smell of marijuana provided probable cause to search the vehicle.
Hervey, who had a wheelchair in the back of the car, told deputies he had recently been shot and involved in a crash. During the search, deputies found a firearm under each man’s seat. Gause claimed ownership of one loaded tan gun, but authorities confirmed it had been reported stolen in Sheridan, Arkansas. He claimed he “just bought it from a guy.”
In addition to the guns, deputies discovered nearly four ounces of marijuana, a large amount of cash, narcotics hidden in door handles, multiple pills, vials of brown liquid, and 12 sealed packages with inaccurate weight labels.
Charges against Hervey include:
Possession of methamphetamine (1 gram)
Possession of 29 hydrocodone pills without a prescription
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Gause was charged with theft under $1,000 related to the stolen firearm while the investigation continued.
Both men were taken to the Cheatham County Jail. Deputies noted that Hervey attempted to claim some of the drugs and marijuana were prescribed, but his claims were dismissed. No further details have been released.
