On behalf of The Law Office of Gustavo E. Frances, P.A.
A St. Petersburg woman was detained on drug charges after Gulfport police allegedly discovered drugs and paraphernalia in her vehicle in the course of a routine traffic stop. Gulfport police pulled the woman’s vehicle over in the 6000 block of Gulfport Boulevard after allegedly clocking her at 18 miles per hour over the speed limit. The stop occurred on the morning of July 7.
Police say that they found controlled substances in the 30-year-old woman’s vehicle after she stopped, including Xanax and marijuana, as well as 20 canisters of nitrous oxide. One of the canisters had allegedly been loaded into a whipped cream dispenser, a common device for the inhalation of nitrous oxide.
The woman was subsequently booked into Pinellas County jail. She may wish to employ a criminal defense attorney as she now faces felony charges of possession of a harmful chemical substance and possession of the controlled substance. She also faces misdemeanor charges of violation of probation, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A criminal attorney in Fort Lauderdale a case similar to this one would likely examine any search of the defendant’s vehicle that led to the discovery of drugs and paraphernalia. Presuming none of the alleged illegal materials were in plain sight, the attorney might argue that the officers involved lacked probable cause to perform a search. If the court deemed the search to have been illegal, evidence seized in the course of the search could be ruled inadmissible at trial, potentially opening the door for an acquittal or a favorable plea bargain.
When you need a criminal defense attorney, you can contact us by calling 954-533-2756 for a free consultation.
Bay News 9, “St. Pete woman charged with possession of nitrous oxide“, July 07, 2014
