Dawson County's Chief Tax Appraiser was arrested at his office Tuesday afternoon on misdemeanor drug charges.

Michael Joseph Roberts, 36, who has served as the county's chief tax appraiser for the last two years, was charged with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and possession of a drug related object. The charges are misdemeanors.

Dawson County Sheriff's Maj. Tony Wooten said a citizen tip that an odor of marijuana was coming from Roberts' car in the government center parking lot Tuesday afternoon led to the arrest.

"Lt. Col. John Cagle with an officer and a K9 unit went out to the car to investigate the complaint and identified whose car it was," Wooten said. "The K9 alerted that there was an illegal substance in the car."

The officers then searched the vehicle and discovered the marijuana, Wooten said.

Roberts was taken into custody at his office on the first floor of the government center.

He was released on $2,200 bond Tuesday evening, according to jail records.

Initially hired as a field technician nearly 11 years ago, Roberts was promoted to deputy appraiser in 2006 and assumed his current role on April 18, 2011.

The status of his employment with the county could not be verified Wednesday morning.

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