A Dahlonega man questioned last month after an explosive device was found in his vehicle at a Dawsonville gas station has been charged in connection with the incident.

While they suspect Murray Paul Davis had no intention of causing harm with the stick of industrial grade dynamite, local authorities said his actions warranted the drug and other charges.

"He was under the influence of several different drugs and was sitting, passed out, next to a gas pump," said Dawson County Sheriff's Sgt. Dan Ramsey. "It's reckless disregard. It could have been a very bad situation."

Davis, 38, was arrested last week and charged with possession of Xanax and Trazodone, prescription pills used to treat anxiety and depression.

He was also charged with having the drugs outside the original container and reckless conduct, according to the arrest report.

Davis was released Friday from the Dawson County Jail after posting a $20,200 bond.

Deputies found the dynamite Dec. 21 after clerks at the Kangaroo convenience store on Hwy. 9 reported that a man appeared to have passed out behind the wheel after pumping gas.

Fearing a possible drug overdose, paramedics took Davis to Northside Hospital-Forsyth.

Deputies searching Davis' vehicle found the stick of dynamite, which is typically used to break up cement or rock on job sites.

There was no blasting cap, which would have been needed to ignite it.

Several city blocks were shut down while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's bomb squad collected the explosive.

Ramsey said Davis, a heavy equipment operator who installs sewer lines, claimed the dynamite came from a job site many years ago. It had reportedly been at his wife's home in Flowery Branch until recently, when his stepson found it.

"Mr. Davis said he put it in his car because he didn't want his stepson to have it," Ramsey said.