Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Larry Donnell Porter, 45, of Archer, was arrested on February 27 after a traffic stop and charged with selling marijuana; in a social media post, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office emphasized that marijuana is often laced with deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine.

At about 8:23 p.m. on February 27, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a black Dodge Charger in the 7600 block of Newberry Road for failing to stop at the marked stop bar before making a right turn onto Newberry Road; the deputy reported that after making the turn, the vehicle failed to maintain its lane, crossing over the center line and back. The window tint was also suspected to be illegal, and that was later confirmed.

After Porter reportedly declined to answer a request to search the vehicle, a K-9 team responded to the traffic stop location and provided a positive alert for drugs.

A probable cause search of the Charger reportedly produced a backpack with locked zippers; the backpack was reportedly found to be a scent-proof backpack designed to conceal the odor of items stored inside it. A deputy asked Porter for the combination for the lock, and he reportedly said at first that he didn’t know it but later provided the code. A deputy also reported that Porter called his wife during the traffic stop and told her where she could find money at their house and instructed her to call a specific lawyer and call his boss in the morning, all of which indicated that he knew he would be arrested before the backpack was opened.

The backpack reportedly contained two more odor-proof bags with locked zippers, and the same code opened those bags; one contained 12 packages of marijuana ranging from 4.8 grams to 31.8 grams, and the second contained a digital scale, an empty heat-seal bag, and five packages of marijuana ranging from 5.1 grams to 5.8 grams. The total amount of marijuana reportedly weighed about 141 grams.

Porter reportedly has a medical marijuana card and “is well aware of the requirements” for legally possessing marijuana, but the marijuana was not in a medical marijuana dispensary container and was packaged for street-level sales and distribution.

Post Miranda, Porter reportedly denied knowing there was marijuana in his car, but when he was asked whether his fingerprints would be found on any of the bags, he said they would be found on at least one of the bags. On the way to the jail, he reportedly said, “It’s just marijuana.”

In a social media post about the arrest, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office wrote: “While most in our community may find no harm in Marijuana, we want to remind you of the many stops we have conducted where we continue to find that what seems to be ‘just weed’ is often laced with deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine. There is a mission here and it’s simple. No street level narcotic is safe. We must do everything possible to prevent having to tell a family member that their loved one overdosed because they thought they were ‘just smoking weed.’”

Porter has been charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, selling/distributing marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has juvenile convictions between 1994 and 1997, six adult felony convictions (two violent), and four misdemeanor convictions (none violent); he has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2010. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $55,000, and Porter was released on bail on February 28.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.