While it is fair to say that no one wants to be pulled over for a traffic stop, in most cases that is all it is and after receiving a warning or a ticket, the driver will be on his or her way. This is not the way all of these traffic stops end however. The recent arrest of a Maryland man illustrates this.
Though the catalyst for pulling the 24-year-old man over is not clear, following the stop of his vehicle a K-9 unit brought in indicated the possible presence of drugs in the vehicle. At that point officers conducted a probable cause search. In the course of that search, and the search of the driver, 42 grams of crack cocaine, 14 baggies of heroin, cash and a loaded handgun were allegedly uncovered.
As a result of those alleged findings the man was arrested and among other things has been charged with:
- Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
- Possession of heroin.
- Illegal possession of a firearm.
- Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
He is being held on $400,000 bond.
The charges the man faces are certainly serious. Being charged with a crime is not the same as being convicted however. For that to occur, the prosecution must build a case against the man. In the course of that process he will have a chance to defend himself against those charges. Because the consequences tied to a conviction for a felony are so serious the man in this case will want to do all that he can to mount an aggressive defense. For most the first step in this process is to hire a criminal defense lawyer.
Source: Cecil Whig, “North East man charged with drug distribution, gun possession,” Jane Bellmyer, Dec. 5, 2014
