In the very early hours of the morning, it doesn’t take much to draw the attention of the police to anything that seems even slightly wrong. That was the experience of one Texas man enjoying some music in his car just recently. He now faces the possibility of a life in prison for a pair of drug charges.
Two College Station police officers heard loud music coming from a parked vehicle at around 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 7. According to their report, the officers approached the vehicle and made eye contact with the driver. A note in the report indicates the driver appeared nervous.
The officers asked the driver, a 34-year-old man, to step out of his vehicle. When he did so, the officers reported they could smell marijuana coming from the car. The man is alleged to have dropped a marijuana cigarette butt on the ground, and he claimed he had been smoking while on a break from work. He reportedly informed officers he had an ounce of marijuana in his vehicle.
A search of the vehicle turned up 76 tablets of ecstasy, almost 1.5 ounces of marijuana, plastic bags, and nearly ten grams of methamphetamine. A baby bottle full of cough syrup, a scale and $300 cash were also found. The man has been charged with one count of delivery of methamphetamine, one count of delivery of ecstasy, and one count of misdemeanor possession. The delivery charges are both first-degree felonies, and he now faces up to 99 years in prison, plus $10,000 in fines.
Being caught allegedly in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia is not a good thing, especially in Texas, where punishment for drug charges can be extremely severe. To hopefully avoid extensive prison time, anyone in a similar position should plan his or her defense strategy very carefully. Part of that strategy should include working with a lawyer experienced at handling felony drug cases.
Source: theeagle.com, “Man charged with felony drug possession“, Dec. 9, 2016
