A “disoriented and drowsy” Wildwood man was arrested recently after a Marion County sheriff’s deputy spotted him driving with an inoperable headlight.
The deputy stopped 32-year-old Harold Nathaniel Gadson on March 21 n the parking lot of the Wawa convenience store at 1001 S. Pine Ave. in Ocala. The deputy noted that as Gadson pulled into the parking lot, his tires traveled over a curb.
The deputy gave Gadson several loud commands to roll down his window. Gadson looked directly at the deputy and then looked away several times before finally rolling down his window. The deputy reported smelling the odor of burnt marijuana emitting from the vehicle and noted that Gadson appeared to be impaired. Gadson told the deputy he didn’t have a marijuana card, a sheriff’s office report states.
The deputy invited Gadson to participate in field sobriety exercises, which he agreed to do. He struggled through the exercises and was placed under arrest.
Deputies then searched Gadson’s vehicle and located a metal grinder and a plastic baggie with green leafy substances that field-tested positive for marijuana, the report says.
Gadson was transported to the Marion County Jail, where he provided breath samples showing .063 and .060 blood alcohol content. He also agreed to provide a urine sample, according to the report.
Gadson was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, possession of marijuana not more than 20 grams and possession and/or use of drug equipment. He was released on $3,000 bond and his next court date hasn’t yet been set, jail records show.