It’s the law to buckle up. But it’s rare that you hear of police actually pulling someone over solely because they didn’t have their seatbelt on. However, that’s exactly what one cop in Clinton Township happened across a relatively big heroin bust.
According to MyCentralJersey.com, an officer initiated a traffic stop when he noticed a passenger in a vehicle wasn’t buckled up. When he communicated with the driver, he noticed tack marks on the female passenger’s arms and also that the driver nearly fainted during the stop.
Also strange was conflicting stories about the back seat passenger, a man. According to the driver, she didn’t know the man in the back sea—somewhat odd considering he’s in your car. She stated she was giving a ride to him from Yonkers to Roanoke, VA.
According to the man, however, he was headed to Baltimore from Maplewood, and later changed his story stating he was headed to Hagerstown. Despite the odd trio, the patrolman was given consent to search the vehicle.
The man was found to have 100 baggies of heroin in his sock. As he was being arrested, the female passenger tried to get rid of 10 more bags and a syringe. Once they got the two passengers to the police department, they discovered the female had another 100 bags. To make matters worse, she tried to get rid of some of it by snorting it off of a bench in the holding cell.
Both passengers now face an array of charges though the driver was released. Possession with intent to distribute, possession of heroin, and not wearing a seatbelt are just a few of the charges these two are looking at.
The driver, who didn’t get charged at all, likely wasn’t swerving or driving erratically. She wasn’t found to be under the influence. The only thing that led police to the vehicle was spotting a passenger with no seatbelt on. Had she buckled up, they may have never been caught.
It just goes to show that you never know when you will have contact with law enforcement. And whether you have drugs on you or have a warrant out for your arrest, something as little as a seatbelt could stand between you and jail.
Although the driver of this vehicle consented to a search—she didn’t have to. Sometimes it’s difficult to know when you should consent and when you should say no. But once you are under arrest, you will have little further say in the matter.
When you are facing criminal charges, whether related to drugs or something else, you need an aggressive defense lawyer on your side. Contact me today for a free consultation on your case and some potentially valuable legal advice.