By Joe Johnson
An Athens man who was wanted for skipping his arraignment on drug and firearms charges in 2019 was arrested Thursday night when he surrendered himself at the Clarke County Jail.
Trance Netki Grant, 46, of Old Hull Road was initially arrested in December 2019 when, during a traffic stop on a car in which he was a passenger, he was found to be in possession of heroin and a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol. According to an Athens-Clarke County police report.
Grant had a history of arrests on dug and firearms charges and at the time was a convicted felon, the report noted.
He was arrested and charged with possession of heroin, possession of a firearm during the commission on a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the report.
He explained that he knew he was not supposed to be in posession of a gun but "he had been robbed before and kept it for protection," according to the police report.
Clarke County Superior Court records indicate that Grant was released from custody on a $6,600 bond and subsequently indicted by a grand jury.
A Superior Court judge issued a bench warrant in September 2020 after Grant failed to appear for his arraignment.
He surrendered and was booked into the Clarke County Jail at 8:47 p.m. Thursday and was being held without bond on the bench warrant.