A Brooksville man was arrested on drug charges after throwing a small bottle of cocaine under his vehicle during a traffic stop.
A deputy saw 34-year-old Jamaine Linden Adolph make an illegal U-turn in a black Lexus at 1:50 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle went from the northbound turn lane to the southbound turn lane on U.S. Hwy. 27, leading to a traffic stop nearest the intersection with High Grove Avenue in Clermont.
The deputy stood by the driver’s side when speaking with Adolph, during which he smelled burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. When asked about it, Adolph stated he smoked marijuana inside earlier in the day, but there were no hemp or CBD products there now. He also did not have a medical marijuana license, the report said.
After a short time, he asked to get out of the vehicle. The deputy allowed him but stated he would be patting him down for safety. Adolph consented but turned toward the vehicle, reaching into the front waistband of his shorts with his right hand, the report said.
The deputy commanded him to stop, which went ignored, so he grabbed Adolph’s right arm to pull his hand out of his shorts. Adolph continued reaching down, and the deputy guided him to the ground to gain control. While there, he moved his arm under the vehicle where his arm was not visible for a brief moment. He was then handcuffed without any more issues, the report said.
A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded a small blue backpack with two prescription pill bottles. One contained “nugs” of marijuana while the otherhad multiple partially smoked hand-rolled marijuana cigarettes. The deputy also found two clear plastic baggies of ground marijuana and two more hand-rolled cigarettes, bringing the total to 91 grams, the report said.
Additionally, a small prescription pill bottle with 2 grams of cocaine was discovered on the ground next to the passenger-side wheel. A check of the patrol vehicle’s dash cam showed this was not there prior to the stop. It was thrown underneath the vehicle when Adolph was being escorted to the ground. The bottle bounced on the road from the opposite side of the vehicle before coming to rest under the passenger side of the vehicle, the report said.
Adolph later claimed all the marijuana was his, but the cocaine was not, the report said.
The New York native was still arrested on charges of possession of cocaine, tampering with physical evidence, possession of cannabis (over 20 grams) and resisting officer without violence. He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $8,500 bond.