Stafford, VA. Two suspects, including a man wanted on felony assault charges, were arrested on Tuesday by deputies with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.

On August, 7, 2018, at approximately 4:25 p.m., deputies responded to a residence in the area of Paradise Court to assist detectives in searching for a suspect wanted on abduction, strangulation, and assault charges. The suspect, identified as Andre Lamar Bell, 37, of Stafford, was subsequently taken into custody.

Following Bell’s arrest, two deputies who remained at the scene in their vehicles, observed two males going back and forth between the residence and a vehicle parked in the driveway. Deputies noticed that the tint of the windows appeared to be too dark to be legal in Virginia.

The suspicious vehicle eventually pulled out of the driveway and came to a stop in the travel lanes on Clarke Hill Road where the driver turned on the hazard lights. Deputy Gabrielli and 1st Sgt. Purcell made contact with the occupants of the vehicle and asked them to step outside of the vehicle.

Deputy Smith and his K9 partner, Lobo, arrived on scene and conducted a scan of the vehicle. Lobo alerted to an area of the vehicle, prompting deputies to perform a search. They discovered a substance consistent with marijuana as well as a small safe containing nine small bags of a white powdery substance, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm.

A subsequent search of the driver, identified as Alpha Lee, 38, of Dumfries, revealed a significant amount of cash contained in a wallet. A search of the passenger, identified as Andre S. Bell, 19,of Stafford revealed a substance consistent with marijuana. In the meantime, a tint meter confirmed the window tint was darker than what is legally permissible in the state.

Lee was taken into custody and incarcerated at Rappahannock Regional Jail on charges of possession with intent to distribute a schedule I/II controlled substance, possession of a firearm while in possession of drugs, stopping on a highway, and illegal tint. Andre S. Bell was charged with possession of marijuana and released on a summons.

Andre Lamar Bell was served his outstanding warrants and was also charged with possession with intent to distribute a schedule I/II controlled substance, possession of a firearm while in possession of drugs, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. He is incarcerated at Rappahannock Regional Jail.