Often a routine traffic stop will lead to more serious charges against a suspect. This was the case recently in a traffic stop in Florida. A Broward County man was pulled over for having dark tinted windows on his car, and ended up facing serious drug charges.
The arrest happened on Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County. A Florida Highway Patrol officer pulled the 32-year-old man over, and claimed in his report that the suspect seemed nervous. The officer claimed the man told him he was a private investigator.
The officer found marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine and a pipe in the car. In the trunk he found a gun, a pill crusher, a scale and small plastic bags. After the officer took the man to the St. Lucie County Jail, he found more cocaine under the seat of his patrol car. The suspect allegedly admitted putting it there.
The man has been charged with multiple offenses including drug possession, drug trafficking, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released from jail after posting bond.
Those who are charged with drug offenses in Florida face serious consequences. But those who are arrested have rights, and with the help of an experienced defense attorney they can fight the charges. One of the first issues in any drug arrest is often whether the search that led to the arrest violated the defendant’s constitutional rights. If a court determines that the search was conducted in violation of the fourth amendment to the Constitution, all evidence seized in the search will be thrown out, at which point the prosecution’s case usually collapses.
Source: TCPalm, “Traffic stop for darkened windows leads to drug arrest in St. Lucie,” March 12, 2013
