Reports of a woman passed out behind the wheel of her car on the afternoon of Oct. 29 led to drug possession charges for 31-year-old Maryland resident according to local media outlets. Emergency services workers say that the woman was alert when they arrived at the scene, but they called the Maryland State Police when she reportedly became combative and belligerent.
The trooper dispatched to Mervell Dean Road in Hollywood arrived at approximately 5 p.m. and says that the woman became more compliant after the trooper identified herself as a peace officer. EMS workers allegedly described the woman’s behavior as suspicious because she refused to move her hands from her lap. When the trooper ordered the woman to move her hands, she says that she noticed a metal and glass smoking device in the woman’s lap. Reports indicate that deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office then arrived at the scene and detained the woman. The trooper then conducted a search of the woman’s car.
This search is said to have led to the discovery of several items of drug paraphernalia containing a substance believed to be drug residue and two spoons of crack cocaine. The woman allegedly admitted to the trooper that the drugs and items recovered belonged to her.
Cases like this one often come down to a judge’s ruling on the legitimacy of a warrantless search, which is why experienced criminal defense attorneys would likely advise their clients to never make statements, confessions or admissions to police officers without first speaking with a lawyer no matter how grim their situations may appear. This is because police often find it difficult to convince judges that it was necessary to conduct a search without first obtaining a warrant.
Source: Southern Maryland News, Callaway Woman Arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine in Hollywood, Staff report, Nov. 4, 2018