So you’re driving down the street, minding your own business when the cops pull you over. Yeah, you’ve got expired tags, we’ve all been there.
Expecting a ticket, or hopefully a warning, you roll down your window and greet the officer with minty fresh breath. However, you’re surprised when he asks what’s in your mouth. More surprised when he bags and tags it. And downright shocked when he drags you in for possession of crack cocaine and for tampering with it by trying to eat it.
Don’t say it can’t happen, because it did, and Donald May spent three months in a Florida jail while the cops tried to tell the difference between a Certs and a crack rock:
May was pulled over for an expired tag on his car. When the officer walked up to him, he noticed something white in May’s mouth. May said it was breath mints, but the officer thought it was crack cocaine.
“He took them out of my mouth and put them in a baggy and locked me up [for] possession of cocaine and tampering with evidence,” May explained.
The officer claimed he field-tested the evidence and it tested positive for drugs. The officer said he saw May buying drugs while he was stopped at an intersection. He also stated in his report May waived his Miranda rights and voluntarily admitted to buying drugs.
May said that never happened.
“My client never admitted he purchased crack cocaine. Why would he say that?” attorney Adam Sudbury said.
May was thrown in jail and was unable to bond out for three months. He didn’t get out until he received a letter from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office that test results showed no drugs were found.
As if that weren’t bad enough, while May was in jail, the cops towed his car and auctioned it off.
He lost his job and was evicted. Now May is suing the city for false arrest and false imprisonment. He wants to be compensated for the loss of his car and job.
I’m generally against suing, but this warrants it. Sue away, Donald. I hope you get paid.
Hat Tip: Hit and Run
