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A Lady Lake man was arrested in Leesburg with 62 pouches of flavored marijuana in the trunk of his vehicle.
While surveilling a residence looking for a wanted suspect, an officer observed a silver 2019 Hyundai parked in the front driveway with the running lights on at around 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. He saw a man, later identified as 28-year-old Tadarrious Equwonne Johnson, open the trunk, put something inside and get into the driver’s side of the vehicle.
Tadarrious Equwonne Johnson
The vehicle then backed out of the driveway and went north on Berwick Drive. The officer caught up to the vehicle near South Street and South 14th Street, at which time he noticed the front side window tint seemed very dark. As a result, he initiated a traffic stop using overhead lights, and the vehicle came to a stop near U.S. Hwy. 27 and Main Street, the report said.
After getting out of his vehicle, the officer approached Johnson and explained the reason for the stop. He proceeded to test the window using a tint meter, which gave a reading of 3 percent the report said.
As the officer spoke to Johnson through the open window, he could smell the strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. He asked Johnson if he had a medical marijuana card, and he stated he did but was unable to show it at the time. The officer next asked if there was marijuana in the vehicle, the report said.
Johnson retrieved a small clear plastic bag from the front center console area and handed it to the officer. The bag contained a small amount of brown and green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana. Johnson was subsequently asked to step out of the vehicle and detained in handcuffs, the report said.
The officer then asked Johnson if he had anything else on him, to which he admitted to having more marijuana in his pocket. The officer found another bag with the same substance in his right front shorts pocket, the report said.
As the officer waited on a marked unit with a secured backseat, he asked Johnson if there was anything in the trunk, and at first, he said no. However, he later stated there was more marijuana in the trunk. Once another officer arrived, Johnson was put in the patrol vehicle as law enforcement searched the trunk, the report said.
Inside the trunk was a large plastic bag containing several commercially packaged Kabosu pouches, each with 3.5 grams of cannabis labeled on the front packaging. Of the 62 pouches, flavors included Trix cereal, triple melon lemonade, apple cinnamon pie, orange cream soda, Oreo cookie, pink vanilla butter-cake and Bazooka gum, the report said.
The total weight of the marijuana without packaging was 217 grams. A small amount of the green and brown substance tested positive for the presence of THC. The back of each pouch also had a warning label advising that the pouches contained cannabis, the report said.
After being read his rights, Johnson explained the marijuana inside his trunk belonged to him. His girlfriend, the registered co-owner of the vehicle, was also in the vehicle at the time of the stop. She denied knowledge of the marijuana, the report said.
A further search of the vehicle revealed four marijuana roaches in an ashtray on the front center console. These weighed 1.2 grams. Additionally, the marijuana Johnson first handed over weighed 1.7 grams, and the baggie in his pocket weighed 4.3 grams, the report said.
Johnson was subsequently arrested on charge of possession of marijuana (more than 20 grams). He was also issued a written warning for the tint violation. He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,500 bond.
“]] A Lady Lake man was arrested in Leesburg with 62 pouches of flavored marijuana in the trunk of his vehicle. Read More
