FangZandith
New Member
On Thursday, June 5, 2008 a friend of mine was boxed in at a parking space infront of my apartment complex by three county police vehicles. He approached the situation calmly and decently, first rolling his window down and asking the officer who approached him if there was a problem. The officer told him that he was to be searched for possession, stating that there is a known dealer in my building. He told my friend that he was going to search his persons and vehicle, and my friend expressed that he wanted to see a warrant for the claim. The officer then told him that if he didn't allow the search, he would call in K9. As an art major with his entire portfolio in his vehicle, he felt that he couldn't risk having his entire work ripped to shreds by dogs and police (and it was made very evident that it was a good possibility.).
It started at about 8:00pm when he stopped by to give me a razor as my brother moved out recently and took the only razor in the house (shared between him, my father and myself.) He left my apartment at about 8:30 to get ready to go Golds Gym, when an officer did a round about from a near by 7-11 and boxed him in at his parking space. Two more cars fallowed soon after. He told the officer the truth of why he was here (to give me a razor), and was then promptly arrested and searched. He admitted having an eigth of Marijuana on his persons mainly due to fear for the expensive art materials and portfolio in his car and for the fact that there were more than four officers, who weren't the least of which lacking in the department of civilian intimidation.
He was taken to Jail for a few hours, and had his charge of possession dropped, and left with only a first time offense of paraphenalia. He is scheduled to meet with the Commissioner with in the next five days.
He has bipolar disorder and was institutionalized in 2006-2007, placed on several different anti depressants until he was released on Lithium. The Lithium ended up making him feel worse than before, and he started smoking Marijuana. Marijuana has actually proven to be a reasonable stabilizer in his life. He has held a county teacher-aid position helping children with speech impediments, and scored a position at a well paying summer camp just recently. He is eighteen and over half way towards his bachelours degree in an arts degree. He resides in Glen Burnie, Maryland and has never had any charges (not even so much as a parking violation.)
On top of being intimidated into a search, he was also told that if he could supply the officers with information on who was dealing in my building that they would let him off free. Since he did not purchase from the guy who sells in my building, he didn't actually know. I suspect it happens to be the guy who lives directly below me, based on the fact that he doesn't work, how scared he was when the police showed up, and the fact that I know he smokes weed pretty much every day (and the fact that he tried to sell me weed a couple of times).
So my friend is in a bad position, he is at risk at losing his job, he has lost the ability to use what should be a perfectly legal drug which provided the only medicinal stabilization in his life, and he's totally afraid to say anything about how he was forced into a search without probable cause or a warrant.
Do you have any suggestions or options? He isn't too well off with money and can't afford a lawyer right now. His uncle is in the police department, and was part of the reason he got one of his charges removed. I don't think he was read his Miranda Rights either.
It started at about 8:00pm when he stopped by to give me a razor as my brother moved out recently and took the only razor in the house (shared between him, my father and myself.) He left my apartment at about 8:30 to get ready to go Golds Gym, when an officer did a round about from a near by 7-11 and boxed him in at his parking space. Two more cars fallowed soon after. He told the officer the truth of why he was here (to give me a razor), and was then promptly arrested and searched. He admitted having an eigth of Marijuana on his persons mainly due to fear for the expensive art materials and portfolio in his car and for the fact that there were more than four officers, who weren't the least of which lacking in the department of civilian intimidation.
He was taken to Jail for a few hours, and had his charge of possession dropped, and left with only a first time offense of paraphenalia. He is scheduled to meet with the Commissioner with in the next five days.
He has bipolar disorder and was institutionalized in 2006-2007, placed on several different anti depressants until he was released on Lithium. The Lithium ended up making him feel worse than before, and he started smoking Marijuana. Marijuana has actually proven to be a reasonable stabilizer in his life. He has held a county teacher-aid position helping children with speech impediments, and scored a position at a well paying summer camp just recently. He is eighteen and over half way towards his bachelours degree in an arts degree. He resides in Glen Burnie, Maryland and has never had any charges (not even so much as a parking violation.)
On top of being intimidated into a search, he was also told that if he could supply the officers with information on who was dealing in my building that they would let him off free. Since he did not purchase from the guy who sells in my building, he didn't actually know. I suspect it happens to be the guy who lives directly below me, based on the fact that he doesn't work, how scared he was when the police showed up, and the fact that I know he smokes weed pretty much every day (and the fact that he tried to sell me weed a couple of times).
So my friend is in a bad position, he is at risk at losing his job, he has lost the ability to use what should be a perfectly legal drug which provided the only medicinal stabilization in his life, and he's totally afraid to say anything about how he was forced into a search without probable cause or a warrant.
Do you have any suggestions or options? He isn't too well off with money and can't afford a lawyer right now. His uncle is in the police department, and was part of the reason he got one of his charges removed. I don't think he was read his Miranda Rights either.
