FRANKLIN—Police arrested a Franklin man on drug and traffic charges after observing suspicious activity on Virginia Street on Tuesday.

Officers from the Franklin Police Department were patrolling Virginia Street when a vehicle sped by and pulled into a cul-de-sac, where another person got into the vehicle, according to Lt. T.W. Whitt, spokesman for the department.

When officers approached the vehicle, they saw the driver throw something from the car. The object was recovered and found to be a plastic bag containing a substance thought to be crack cocaine, according to Whitt.

Police arrested the driver, Ronald Derrick Thomas, 24, of South High Street.

He was charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and driving on a suspended license.

Thomas is being held without bond at Western Tidewater Regional Jail.

Cpl. Keith Rose and Officers T.D. Howell and Joseph Spurling are conducting the investigation.