TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Traffic stop nets marijuana bust

ADVERTISEMENT

By GEORGE H. NEWMAN

gnewman@tampatrib.com

Published: November 4, 2009

Patrolling school zones for speeders is a routine but important job, and sometimes traffic patrol officers come across something unexpected.

On Oct. 22, officers Richard Honcharik and Kyle Russell were working in front of Burney Elementary School, using a radar guns to detect speeders passing through the school zone on South Evers Street. Honcharik pointed his speed-detector at a well-worn pickup that clearly was exceeding the school zone's speed limit, police said.

"Honcharik checked him at 27 miles per hour in the 15 mile per hour zone," said patrol Capt. Jerry Stwan. "Honcharik stepped out into traffic and made the stop almost directly in front of the school."

It quickly became apparent there was more inside the pickup than an inattentive driver, Stwan said.

While Honcharik was going through the paces of writing a ticket for the speeding violation, he noticed what appeared to be marijuana cigarettes in the vehicle's ashtray. A canine officer, John Stasiak, was called to the scene. The dog, Max, trained in drug detection, signaled there were more drugs on board.

The driver of the pickup, Gregory Michael McCawley, 13502 Moore Road, Lakeland, was taken from the vehicle, handcuffed and told to sit on a retaining wall as officers with the street crimes unit began searching the truck.

Captains Stwan and Mike Floyd arrived at the scene.

"We questioned McCawley about what we might find in the vehicle," Stwan said. "The deeper we dug the more surprises came to the surface."

The truck's ashtray was filled with partially burned marijuana cigarettes, police reported, and officers found small mason jars filled with marijuana buds. Then an unloaded antique shotgun of unknown caliber was found behind the seat. Police said they also found a compressed block of marijuana, wrapped in an airtight plastic bag.

All told, officers collected about 1 1/2 pounds of marijuana and plastic baggies. They charged McCawley with possession with the intent to sell.

After the midafternoon arrest, McCawley was booked into a Hillsborough County jail. He was released that night on $2,000 bail.

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 731-8161.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT