An Athens man is facing drug charges after a bag of pills and methamphetamine fell from his pants as a Hartselle police officer was escorting him away.

Christopher Davis Ladner-Archuleta, 19, of 19110 Airfield St., was arrested June 8 on three counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

According to an incident report filed June 9 in Morgan County District Court, Officer Chip Reynolds noticed a vehicle stopped in the road on Alabama 36 near Sims Road. He noticed a woman standing in front of the vehicle. As he approached her, she kicked something with her foot. He saw several yellow pills on the ground that she was trying to conceal. He detained her and called for another officer.

Lt. Robert Finn arrived and detained the driver, Ladner-Archuleta, and another passenger. As officers walked back to the woman, they found a plastic baggie lying on the ground with the same kind of pills along with some blue pills and three separate bags of meth.

The woman told Finn she had called one of the passengers to pick her up. An argument ensued and she was about to leave when Reynolds arrived. She said she tried to conceal the pills after the other passenger threw some pills at her.

After reviewing his in-car camera, Finn saw the baggie of pills and meth fall from Ladner-Archuleta’s pants. He provided a written confession and was arrested.

The two passengers were released.

Ladner-Archuleta was taken to the Morgan County Jail, where bail was set at $3,000.