A 31-year-old Villager was jailed Thursday morning on drug charges after being stopped in the parking lot of an Ocala restaurant.
An Ocala Police K-9 dog performed an open-air sniff and alerted on Asamoah’s blue older-model four-door vehicle. Officers then instructed 31-year-old Ransford Kofi Asamoah and his Villages lady friend to step out of the vehicle, which was stopped in the parking lot of the PDQ restaurant at 3410 S.W. College Rd. During a pat down, an officer discovered a pocket knife in Asamoah’s right pants pocket.
The officer also pulled several other items from Asamoah’s pocket and reported smelling the odor of fresh marijuana. One of the items was a small pink-and-black container that had a green leafy substance in it that field-tested positive for THC. The officer also found a clear crystal substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, an Ocala Police report states.
Asamoah, who is believed to live in the Village of Tall Trees, was placed in handcuffs and after being read his rights, refused to give a “yes” or “no” answer as to whether he’d be willing to talk to the officer. He was then placed in back of a patrol vehicle and officers continued searching his car, where they found a black bag in the trunk that contained a large broken glass bong. They also located a glass pipe lying in the trunk among scattered random items, the report says.
Asamoah was transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana not more than 20 grams. He was being held on $17,000 bond and is due in court June 15 at 9 a.m. to answer to the charges, jail records show.
Asamoah also was arrested in April after he and his lady friend, who lives in the Village of Tall Trees, were found sleeping in a vehicle that was parked at the gas pumps at a Belleview Circle K. When Belleview Police officers arrived, they were told that the couple’s blue Toyota Camry had been parked at a pump with its headlights on for three hours.
Officers spoke with Asamoah, who at the time listed his residence as Lawrenceville, Ga., and noticed that he was struggling to keep his eyes open and speaking with “mumbled and slurred speech.” Asamoah struggled through field sobriety exercises and agreed to provide a urine sample. He was then placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he 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.
