HAWTHORNE, Fla. – In a surprising turn during a routine traffic stop, 18-year-old Latrelvious Jahmar Strickland was arrested yesterday on multiple felony charges. This came after deputies discovered over 60 grams of marijuana and a firearm missing a serial number during a search that was carried out on the grounds of probable cause.
The incident unfolded at approximately 3:05 p.m. on August 27. An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy initiated the traffic stop as Strickland failed to halt correctly at a stop sign and executed a wide turn along the bustling 6900 SE U.S. Hwy 301, posing a potential hazard to nearby vehicles.
Strickland informed the deputy that while he possessed a learner’s permit, he did not have it in his possession. The situation was further complicated as the sole other vehicle occupant was a 16-year-old passenger, leading the deputy to conclude Strickland was violating restrictions associated with his permit. Additionally, Strickland’s extreme nervousness did not escape the deputy’s notice.
The deputy reported detecting a potent scent of burnt marijuana emanating from Strickland and his vehicle. Strickland admitted to having smoked marijuana roughly an hour before the stop. However, he stated he neither possessed a medical marijuana card nor had any marijuana currently with him.
Moreover, the juvenile passenger asserted that he had not consumed any marijuana and had merely been picked up from school shortly before the stop.
Deputies conducted a probable-cause search of the vehicle, based on the smell of marijuana, and reportedly found a handgun with a missing serial number, a realistic-looking AR-15-style air rifle with no orange tip, about 3.6 grams of tobacco mixed with marijuana, a large bag of marijuana that weighed about 55.1 grams, and a digital scale.
As deputies walked the juvenile to a patrol vehicle, a bag containing about 6.1 grams of marijuana reportedly fell from his pants.
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Post Miranda, the juvenile reportedly said nothing in the vehicle was his except for his backpack, which only contained school supplies. He said he believed the air rifle belonged to Strickland’s sister, the large bag of marijuana belonged to Strickland, and when they were pulled over, Strickland told him to conceal the small bag of marijuana, which had been loose in the vehicle. He said he didn’t tell deputies about the marijuana in his pants because he was scared.
The juvenile was released.
Post Miranda, Strickland reportedly admitted to driving in violation of learner permit restrictions and said he knew he would be charged with the items found in the vehicle. However, he denied knowing anything about any of those items and said they were not his, specifically including the large bag of marijuana, the scale, and the handgun. He denied selling drugs or telling the juvenile to hide the small bag of marijuana.
Strickland reportedly said that it was the first time he had driven the vehicle, which belongs to a friend’s mother, but a relative of Strickland came to the scene and reportedly said it was Strickland’s everyday vehicle. When the deputy asked Strickland about that, he reportedly said he had misunderstood the deputy’s question and meant it was the first time he had driven it that day; he acknowledged driving the vehicle regularly.
Strickland has been charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a convenience store (the Chevron gas station), possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, tampering with evidence, possession of an altered firearm, possession of drug equipment, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Strickland’s full criminal history is unavailable because those documents are not posted when an offense includes a juvenile, but he has no adult local criminal history. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $165,000.