RACINE – A Milwaukee man, formerly of Racine, was charged by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office with drug possession and multiple counts of felony bail jumping following a traffic stop on Interstate 94.
Jovahnte M. Lewis, 24, was charged last Friday with possession with intent to distribute Schedule IV drugs and four counts of felony bail jumping. The DA’s office also charged Lewis with operating without a license and obstructing an officer.
According to the criminal complaint, a Wisconsin State Trooper stopped a vehicle driven by Lewis for speeding in the northbound lanes of I-94 near Highway 11. The driver initially wrote down his name and date of birth as that of “Tyberioius Watkins.” But when the officer ran the information through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) records, the photo did not match the driver.
The driver then stated that he was Jovahnte Lewis and that Watkins was his brother. A second DOT records review showed that Lewis’ driving status was suspended, and he did not have a driver’s license.
At the Racine County Jail, officers conducted a body cavity where he was found to have hidden on his body two baggies containing “white pills marked XANAX on one side and two on the other,” the complaint stated. One baggie contained 102 pills, and the other baggie contained 101.5 pills identified as “alprazolam 2 mg a schedule IV controlled substance.”
Lewis had been previously charged, in April 2019, with possession with intent to deliver or manufacture THC as a party to a crime, use of a dangerous weapon, possession of cocaine, and carrying a concealed weapon. He had been released on bond but failed to appear for a court date on July 29, 2019.
According to online court records, Lewis made an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon where cash bond was set at $1,000 on the current charges, $750 on the previous weapon and drug charges, and $1,000 on two previous felony bail jumping charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 25 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
Lewis remained in the Racine County Jail as of Monday.