Darius Weems, who gained national celebrity status for raising awareness about a fatal disease that afflicts him, was arrested on drug charges Tuesday afternoon.
The arrest resulted from an Oct. 21 search by authorities of his home on North Rocksprings Street in which a quantity of marijuana, prescription pain pills and a handgun were seized, Athens-Clarke County police said.
Weems, 26, was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and committing a drug offense within 1,000 feet of public housing, police said.
The wheelchair-bound man was not immediately taken into custody because, police said, they did not have the means to transport him. Instead, police said they secured warrants to allow Weems to arrange for his own transportation and turn himself in.
He was released from custody soon after being processed at the Clarke County Jail Tuesday, upon posting a total bond of $3,500.
Weems, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, gained local and national fame in 2007 when, at age 15, he left Athens for the first time in his life and set a course for California, where he and his friends hoped to convince MTV to customize his wheelchair on the hit show “Pimp My Ride.” The result was an award-winning documentary about the road trip, “Darius Goes West.” The warm reception of the documentary launched Weems into semi-stardom and he became an activist for disability rights and increasing awareness about his fatal disease. Proceeds from the film and the Darius Goes West Foundation go toward funding for finding a cure for DMD.
DMD affects only males, and people afflicted with it usually die within their late teens or early 20s. Weems’ brother, Mario, succumbed to the disease when he was 19.
While Weems is no longer able to travel, he continues working to raising public awareness, hosting video meetings with schools around the country via Skype.
Weems was arrested as the result of an investigation by the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force, which obtained a warrant to search the man’s home. Drug agents showed up there on Oct. 21 with a drug-sniffing dog from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, police said.
Another resident, 58-year-old Tommy Lee Davis, also was arrested. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
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