By Staff Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tamaris Lorenzo Roberson, 25, found himself back in custody following his arrest on charges of drug distribution. This came while he was already on pre-trial release after a similar arrest in May.
The incident unfolded around 6:30 p.m. on December 9, when an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy pulled over a vehicle for having excessively dark window tint. The tint was measured at 1%, significantly darker than Florida’s legal limit of 28%.
Upon approaching the vehicle, the deputy detected a strong scent of burnt marijuana wafting from inside. Additionally, he observed marijuana “shake” scattered in the car and a box of empty baggies on the back seat.
Roberson challenged the deputy’s decision to search the vehicle, but the officer explained that the visible marijuana justified the search. In response, Roberson presented his medical marijuana card, asserting that everything was legal and that he had smoked marijuana in the car earlier that day.
The deputy cited the potent odor, visible marijuana remnants, and Roberson’s admission as grounds for a probable cause search. This search uncovered a bag with 116 grams of marijuana, five smaller bags totaling 59.5 grams, four empty medical marijuana bags labeled with Roberson’s name, a scale, a sealed bottle of promethazine hydrochloride oral solution, and over $900 in cash, mostly in $20 bills. The marijuana was packaged in weights commonly associated with street-level sales.
Post Miranda, Roberson reportedly said that only 14 grams of the marijuana was purchased from a dispensary and that he was selling the marijuana and the promethazine.
Roberson has been charged with maintaining a rented vehicle for the purpose of selling drugs, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of a legend drug (promethazine) with intent to sell, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has no criminal convictions but was arrested in May for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and possession of a concealed firearm during the commission of a felony and was released on $100,000 bail. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $220,000 on the new charges.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
