Window tint leads to drug arrest
Published 7:20 pm Monday, February 18, 2013
A routine traffic stop escalated into a drug arrest by a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputy last week, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
On Feb. 14, Deputy Zach Martin ran a license plate number through the DMV database because he noticed the vehicle’s windows had illegal window tinting. When the DMV search revealed no insurance, Martin pulled the vehicle over, which further revealed the smell of marijuana coming from inside, said the release.
A search of the vehicle turned up a bindle of heroin in the driver’s jacket pocket, crushed oxycodone pills, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, said the release.
David Roscoe Smith Jr., 21, of Kenilworth Road, Greenville, was arrested and charged with possession of heroin, misdemeanor possession of a schedule II controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Smith was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center and held on a $4,000 secured bond.
According to Maj. Kenneth Watson, spokesman for the sheriff’s office, this situation happens weekly, with routine traffic stops resulting in more charges for the occupants of a vehicle.