Newcastle Police Department is serious about making arrests on individuals without their medical marijuana license.
Officers arrested James Aaron Reed, 22, of Blanchard, when they observed him at an abandoned residence and smelling of marijuana.
Upon further investigation, they determined a black suitcase he was carrying had 4.5 pounds of marijuana in it, and Reed did not have a medical card.
Reed was arrested for possession of marijuana and obstructing an officer.
Officer Dallas Kirby was originally dispatched to a residence at 244 N.E. 20th Place concerning a male walking in front of an abandoned residence with a suticase.
Upon arriving, Kirby observed the suitcase sitting on the porch of the residence but did not see any person around the front. He did notice papers on the front of the residence indicating that an eviction had occurred there and that the property was vacant.
After walking around the property he noticed Reed walking to the front porch, collecting the suitcase, and attempting to walk off. At that point, Kirby asked Reed to stop but Reed reportedly became confrontational and asked the officer to explain why. Kirby explained that Reed was trespassing.
Kirby also notes the smell of marijuana coming from Reed.
Sgt. Ricky Ambrose arrived on scene about that time, and upon speaking with Reed, noticed an odor associated with freshly cut marijuana.
As Reed was being placed in investigative detention, he reportedly grabbed Officer Kirby’s fingers and began to resist. Kirby then took Reed down to the ground and placed him in handcuffs, and then placed him in the rear passenger seat of Ambrose’s patrol car.
While calling in Reed’s information to the City’s communication specialist, the officers were advised that Reed had an active warrant for failure to appear out of Blanchard.
McClain County K-9 Officer Deputy Damon Slabaugh was called in to assist and upon talking with Reed was told that the suitcase contained marijuana. After searching the suitcase and determining there was a “large amount of green leafy substance” inside, After transporting Reed and the weed to Newcastle P.D., a field test indicated a positive for marijuana. It was bagged and then weighed, measuring 4.5 pounds.
The marijuana was secured in the department’s evidence locker, and Reed was taken into custody by Blanchard Police. His suitcase and the clothes that were inside it were returned to him, according to the report.
This was Newcastle Police’s third marijuana-related arrest in recent weeks on persons who do not have their medical marijuana cards.
