Stephan Hines, 33, of 353 Sedgwick Ave., Stratford, was charged with illegal distribution of marijuana, possession of less than four ounces of marijuana and illegal possession of marijuana within 1,500 feet of a school. He was held in lieu of $25,000 bond.

When the officer asked if Hines had any more in the car, he grabbed three more small bags of pot and gave it to the officer. In one of the bags, the officer found nine smaller baggies all containing marijuana, Cotto said. Police searched Hines and seized $598 in cash, Cotto said.

Um....why is he charged with being near a school? THE COP STOPPED HIM NEAR THE SCHOOL!!

I just don't understand why DUI checkpoint are even legal. If the person is dangerously drunk, then it will be visible in there driving.

SoCalSurfer: Stephan Hines, 33, of 353 Sedgwick Ave., Stratford, was charged with illegal distribution of marijuana, possession of less than four ounces of marijuana and illegal possession of marijuana within 1,500 feet of a school. He was held in lieu of $25,000 bond.

Police searched Hines and seized $598 in cash, Cotto said.

Um....why is he charged with being near a school? THE COP STOPPED HIM NEAR THE SCHOOL!!

There's a chance that that $598 was his entire paycheck. And as far the the school zone, they pin that to anyone they can.

When are people going to say enough is enough and rise up against this kind of BS? So the roadblock is set up close to a school, therefore anyone who gets caught with pot at this "roadblock" is going to automatically get another bullshiat charge of poss. next to a school, even though it is obvious that this guy has no intention of smoking pot with school kids at 2AM.

ZAZ: It could be worse. Massachusetts cops smelled pot at a roadblock so they dragged the passenger out of the car and beat him to death. (November 25, 2009 in North Andover.)

Over some pot? I thought Massachusetts was one of the more liberal states.

Realize and legalize, period.

You insult our collective experience and intelligence with your prohibition.

Seriously.

P.S. However, smoking and driving don't mix, so don't. That is all.

SDRR: [i21.photobucket.com image 640x357]

We're parked, man!

Good news: You weren't drunk at a DUI checkpoint.
Bad BETTER news: Your car reeked of marijuana
Fark: You live in a police state

ftfy

A DUI checkpoint actually caught someone who was remotely intoxicated? First thing for everything.

/ignoring the constitutionality of them - they are a waste of resources and don't actually make roads any safer

bravian: A DUI checkpoint actually caught someone who was remotely intoxicated? First thing for everything.

/ignoring the constitutionality of them - they are a waste of resources and don't actually make roads any safer

Hup.

Huh. I thought when the Supreme Court ruled in the DUI roadblock ruling (which was just about as close to in line with the actual constitution as Kelo) they said something along the lines of it being OK as long as they're just looking for DUI. Guess we've gone ahead and expanded that to other things.

/You know who else ran roadblocks?

tjsands1118: I just don't understand why DUI checkpoint are even legal. If the person is dangerously drunk, then it will be visible in there driving.

The decision involved "balancing the state's interest in preventing accidents caused by drunk drivers, the effectiveness of sobriety checkpoints in achieving that goal, and the level of intrusion on an individual's privacy caused by the checkpoints."

Can't say I agree with SCOTUS here, but I'm sure the dissenting Brennan-Marshall wing of the court would have been happy to use this sort of reasoning to uphold a gun law...

buzzcut73: Huh. I thought when the Supreme Court ruled in the DUI roadblock ruling (which was just about as close to in line with the actual constitution as Kelo) they said something along the lines of it being OK as long as they're just looking for DUI. Guess we've gone ahead and expanded that to other things.

/You know who else ran roadblocks?

just email me when the revolution starts and we can waste all politicians and justices for going against the constitution. id like to be first in line for that ride.

buzzcut73: Huh. I thought when the Supreme Court ruled in the DUI roadblock ruling (which was just about as close to in line with the actual constitution as Kelo) they said something along the lines of it being OK as long as they're just looking for DUI. Guess we've gone ahead and expanded that to other things.

/You know who else ran roadblocks?

Pssst.

Shhh.

Pssst.

Come here.

Listen.

We live in a police/ugh state.

We don't have to.

Shhh.

Psst.

Go and do.

Do and go.

Legislate.

Removeate.

Trimeate.

Epiphaneate.

Rescripteate.

Remunerate.

;)

P.S. Whoa.

As a guy that wants to be smoking a J right now, please stop doing this stupid shiat.

buzzcut73: Huh. I thought when the Supreme Court ruled in the DUI roadblock ruling (which was just about as close to in line with the actual constitution as Kelo) they said something along the lines of it being OK as long as they're just looking for DUI. Guess we've gone ahead and expanded that to other things.

/You know who else ran roadblocks?

It's still unconstitutional. No one can claim it's not, there is no case for that. But they made an 'exception' on the basis that taking drunk drivers off the road was worth poking holes in the fourth amendment. As long as it's labeled a drunk driving or safety checkpoint its OK to detain presumably innocent citizens. It would be irresponsible to let people who just happened to be caught doing other things free, right?

So in this way they have completely neutered the fourth amendment, while keeping it intact. This is actually worse than actually killing the amendment because we technically still have the rights granted, but in practice we don't. So there isn't any way to get the rights back.

Dead for Tax Reasons: dumbass: having a cracked windshield and no front plates

The cop would never have know without this guy being a moron

It can't be said enough:

Don't break more than one law at a time.

Well lets see, the list of things to bring back from Germany after WWII: rocket scientist for NASA, plans for building a jet fighter that we didn't think of(F86 sabre), a highway system to get across the country faster than before and I guess we can add check points where you better have your papers.

SoCalSurfer: Stephan Hines, 33, of 353 Sedgwick Ave., Stratford, was charged with illegal distribution of marijuana, possession of less than four ounces of marijuana and illegal possession of marijuana within 1,500 feet of a school. He was held in lieu of $25,000 bond.

When the officer asked if Hines had any more in the car, he grabbed three more small bags of pot and gave it to the officer. In one of the bags, the officer found nine smaller baggies all containing marijuana, Cotto said. Police searched Hines and seized $598 in cash, Cotto said.

Um....why is he charged with being near a school? THE COP STOPPED HIM NEAR THE SCHOOL!!

Bigger fines create bigger profits.
This is all so f*cking ridiculous.

This guy was committing a crime and was caught. For the life of me, I can't understand why everyone is making such a big deal out of it. Whether or not you personally agree with marijuana being illegal doesn't matter. It is illegal, he had it, and he was caught for it. What's so hard about this concept?

"[T]he criminal law is too harsh a tool to apply to personal possession even in the effort to discourage use. It implies an overwhelming indictment of the behavior which we believe is not appropriate. The actual and potential harm of use of the drug is not great enough to justify intrusion by the criminal law into private behavior, a step which our society takes only 'with the greatest reluctance."

Link (new window)

how the fark is this news? this same exact scenario probably plays out 50 times a day.

it happened to me once, too. i admit i was stupid for smoking pot in my car so that it smelled so strongly, but I was not high at the time, nor was i a danger to anybody. Nonetheless, the cop had me do the same sobriety test they use to detect drunk drivers: i had to walk along the centre of the road, do the alphabet backwards, etc. I completed the test perfectly fine, yet the cop determined i was UTI of marijuana, and impounded my vehicle. He then proceeded to lecture me on drug use, claimed that the effects of marijuana can last up to 30 days after the last use, and he accused me of valuing "getting high" over my university education.

I can't beleive there's not a legalize it debate going on in here.

Considering how pungent and distinctive the smell of burning weed actually is, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would ever smoke it in the car.

frtmn7: When are people going to say enough is enough and rise up against this kind of BS? So the roadblock is set up close to a school, therefore anyone who gets caught with pot at this "roadblock" is going to automatically get another bullshiat charge of poss. next to a school, even though it is obvious that this guy has no intention of smoking pot with school kids at 2AM.

There will be no uprising; people aren't even close to having enough. You will enjoy, or at least tolerate the boot on your neck forever.

xl5150: This guy was committing a crime and was caught. For the life of me, I can't understand why everyone is making such a big deal out of it. Whether or not you personally agree with marijuana being illegal doesn't matter. It is illegal, he had it, and he was caught for it. What's so hard about this concept?

"While the judiciary is the governmental institution most directly concerned with the protection of individual liberties, all policy-makers have a responsibility to consider our constitutional heritage when framing public policy. Regardless of whether or not the courts would overturn a prohibition of possession of marijuana for personal use in the home, we are necessarily influenced by the high place traditionally occupied by the value of privacy in our constitutional scheme."

Link (new window)

/It's ok if you don't get it. At least you are asking questions.

Smurfme: I can't beleive there's not a legalize it debate going on in here.

There's very little debate to be had. It's a one-sided argument.

It should be legalized.

xl5150: This guy was committing a crime and was caught. For the life of me, I can't understand why everyone is making such a big deal out of it. Whether or not you personally agree with marijuana being illegal doesn't matter. It is illegal, he had it, and he was caught for it. What's so hard about this concept?

Catchings criminals is fine, since that is what they do. What bugs me is the general harassing everybody till they catch somebody thing. I've seen somebody get their car searched in a parking lot for an hour only to be released when nothing incriminating was found. I've also had to deal with these check points while delivering pizza. Real annoying to wait in traffic jam for the cops to waste time and money because they rarely made an arrest. After a while I turned the tables on them by going out of my way to go through the check points till every officer new me by name. They moved the check points out of my delivery area, and yes they love setting up by schools for extra charges.

Sounds to me like he was a dealer.

I've been there, too. (not dealing) Driving home from a friend's, smoking a J. There's a detour and checkpoint. Said they were looking for someone in specific. Asked me where I was going, yadda yadda. Smelled the pot, pulled me over. Gave me a roadside test (I passed), searched the car, found the roach. Advised me I should have eaten it, wrote me a ticket, sent me on my merry way.

The judge who saw my case was some blonde bimbo who charged me $80 and told me not to toke in my car.

xl5150: This guy was committing a crime and was caught. For the life of me, I can't understand why everyone is making such a big deal out of it. Whether or not you personally agree with marijuana being illegal doesn't matter. It is illegal, he had it, and he was caught for it. What's so hard about this concept?

9/10

I love the "just the facts" troll.

lack of warmth: I've seen somebody get their car searched in a parking lot for an hour only to be released when nothing incriminating was found.

So nothing was found and he was free to go. What's the big deal? He had nothing to hide so he had nothing to fear. I fail to see the problem.

lack of warmth: Real annoying to wait in traffic jam for the cops to waste time and money because they rarely made an arrest. After a while I turned the tables on them by going out of my way to go through the check points till every officer new me by name.

xl5150: lack of warmth: I've seen somebody get their car searched in a parking lot for an hour only to be released when nothing incriminating was found.

So nothing was found and he was free to go. What's the big deal? He had nothing to hide so he had nothing to fear. I fail to see the problem.

lack of warmth: Real annoying to wait in traffic jam for the cops to waste time and money because they rarely made an arrest. After a while I turned the tables on them by going out of my way to go through the check points till every officer new me by name.

[i0.kym-cdn.com image 640x480]

Sit on the ground for an hour while someone trashes your car is a problem. And as far as the check points, I got them to move without getting myself arrested, not always easy to do. Especially in redneck country.

Pulled over a guy in the 70's who had an ashtray full of roaches.
I crosses my legs and sat on the passenger seat and told him I could look in the glove box, and opened it, and finding nothing but watching him sweat bricks, told him I could check the trunk, but I already did and found nothing, He's behind the wheel, sweating bullets, and I shift the checklist on the clipboard over to my right knee, obscuring my view of the ashtray, and slide the ashtray shut with my toe. Then pull the clipboard away. I say, "I can look in the ashtray, but only if it's open. And yours is shut, so nothing to see there. Guess you're clean". and let him slide.

I mean, shoot, what am I gonna do? It isn't like he was a violent offender or had guns or booze in the vehicle. He about melted in his seat and said "Thank you, SIr" and I was only 22 and he was @ 56.

I'm 55 now and not a cop anymore, and fear having to get pulled over by these fetal asshats with shields and a hardon for "justice" as I get older.

belhade: Sounds to me like he was a dealer.

I've been there, too. (not dealing) Driving home from a friend's, smoking a J. There's a detour and checkpoint. Said they were looking for someone in specific. Asked me where I was going, yadda yadda. Smelled the pot, pulled me over. Gave me a roadside test (I passed), searched the car, found the roach. Advised me I should have eaten it, wrote me a ticket, sent me on my merry way.

The judge who saw my case was some blonde bimbo who charged me $80 and told me not to toke in my car.

As it should be. Don't be getting high and driving.
Drunk drivers blow through stop sings while stoned drivers sit and wait for them to turn green.

vudukungfu: Pulled over a guy in the 70's who had an ashtray full of roaches.
I crosses my legs and sat on the passenger seat and told him I could look in the glove box, and opened it, and finding nothing but watching him sweat bricks, told him I could check the trunk, but I already did and found nothing, He's behind the wheel, sweating bullets, and I shift the checklist on the clipboard over to my right knee, obscuring my view of the ashtray, and slide the ashtray shut with my toe. Then pull the clipboard away. I say, "I can look in the ashtray, but only if it's open. And yours is shut, so nothing to see there. Guess you're clean". and let him slide.

I mean, shoot, what am I gonna do? It isn't like he was a violent offender or had guns or booze in the vehicle. He about melted in his seat and said "Thank you, SIr" and I was only 22 and he was @ 56.

I'm 55 now and not a cop anymore, and fear having to get pulled over by these fetal asshats with shields and a hardon for "justice" as I get older.

Favorited as "cool ex cop."

/Hopefully that wasn't copy pasta

AbbeySomeone:
As it should be. Don't be getting high and driving.
Drunk drivers blow through stop sings while stoned drivers sit and wait for them to turn green.

What's funny is how little some authorities actually care about pot. Hell, I got pulled over in North Carolina with my brother, smoking a bowl. They asked me where were going; we live in New York. They tossed the bowl into the field along the highway and told us to get lost. If it was an open beer we'd have been in jail for a week.

Then again, we're nothing but rinky-dink potheads. It's the couriers hauling full garbage bags up I-95 they're really looking for.

You can get a DUI... on weeeed.

belhade: Then again, we're nothing but rinky-dink potheads. It's the couriers hauling full garbage bags up I-95 they're really looking for.

They'd prefer to find garbage bags of cash. Civil forfeiture, and whatnot.