A Coleman man tried to chew and swallow marijuana to avoid an arrest during a traffic stop in Wildwood.
Tremayne Tyrone Nettles Jr., 21, had been riding as a passenger in a Hyundai passenger car that had been spotted shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday at Kamal’s Mini-Mart, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. When the vehicle left the mini-mart it was “driving on the sidewalk,” the report noted. During a traffic stop, Nettles, the driver and a juvenile passenger were removed from the car.
Nettles immediately attracted the attention of one of the officers.
“I observed small pieces of a green leafy substance near the defendant’s mouth area stuck on his face,” the officer wrote in the arrest report.
Nettles “reluctantly” opened his mouth and dumped out a green leafy substance. Nettles had been “actively attempting to chew and swallow the green leafy substance,” the report said.
A digital scale was found in one of Nettles’ pockets and a large amount of cash was found in another pocket.
He was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of drug equipment and attempting to destroy evidence. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $4,000 bond.
The large amount of cash Nettles had been carrying was turned over to a woman at the scene who identified herself as Nettles’ aunt. The driver of the Hyundai was issued a written warning in reference to the traffic violation.