Traffic Stops Turn Into Drug Charges: Brecksville Police Blotter

The following incidents were reported by the from April 3 to 6. The information was compiled from police reports.

Missing license plate
At 11:51 p.m. on April 6, police pulled a car over on Interstate 77 because they couldn’t see the license plate. There was a temporary plate in the back window, which police couldn’t see until the car stopped. Police could smell marijuana, and they later found some in a folded piece of paper under the car’s radio. The driver, a 25-year-old Garfield Heights woman, was charged with possession of marijuana and cited for the plates.

Speeding
Police pulled over a 22-year-old Macedonia man for speeding on Riverview Road at 7:44 p.m. on April 3. The driver seemed nervous—voice and hands shaking—so the officer asked what was wrong. The driver said he could not afford another speeding ticket, and he was afraid he still had some points on his license. The officer then asked whether there was anything illegal in the car. When the driver said no, the officer asked to search it, turning up some cigarettes, bags, pipes and a pill bottle—all suspected to be filled with marijuana or marijuana residue. The man was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Cracked windshield
Officers pulled a van over on Interstate 77 at 7:28 p.m. on April 3 after noticing its cracked windshield. Officers soon noticed something a bit more serious near the passenger, a 29-year-old Malvern man. The man had rolling papers and some loose marijuana on his lap. Police searched the work vehicle and also found a camera case with a bag of marijuana inside. The passenger was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The driver was advised on the cracked windshield.

Loud exhaust
Police heard a loud car driving on Interstate 77 and pulled it over after noticing its missing front plate at 2:22 p.m. on April 3. The officer immediately smelled burnt marijuana and found a pipe with marijuana residue and a container with some loose marijuana under the driver’s seat when searching the car. Police also found some rolling papers in his wallet. The driver, a 34-year-old Akron man, told police his license was suspended. He was charged with driving under suspension, with possession of drug paraphernalia and for the loud exhaust.

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