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Area Teen Swallows Joint, Gets Sent To The Joint

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Jess Holder, courtesy Palm Beach County Jail

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?

It seems that 18-year-old Jess Holder of Pompano (no known relative of Attorney General Eric Holder) never saw the TV ads using a frying egg to represent one's brain on drugs. If he did, perhaps he wouldn't have been smoking pot right in front of a Boca Raton Police Officer, then swallow the “joint” when the officer ordered him not to do so.

Just read the affidavit of probable cause for Holder's arrest to learn exactly what happened, and how one of Holder's friends begged the cop not to write him up because he was just getting high while on a break from his job at a gas station.

(This is why Palm Beach County's horrible 3rd grade FCAT scores matter). 

I was walking through the rear of the Mobil
Mart, 1459 W Yamato Road.

I was on foot wearing a full Boca Raton Police ServicesDepartment Tactical Team Uniform. As I walked east through the parking lot I smelled avery strong odor of burnt marijuana. I noticed parked directly in front of me was a 2012Chevrolet Equinox bearing Fl Tag X67-8MI. I could see this vehicle was running andappeared to be occupied four times.




I approached the front passenger side window of the vehicle and observed a white male
subject, later identified as Jess Holder, DOB 01-26-1995, smoking what appeared to be,
based on my training and experience, to be marijuana joint.  It was brown in color and
appeared to be marijuana wrapped in a tobacco wrapper.
I then opened the passenger side door and told the driver to turn the vehicle off and
instructed Holder to set the marijuana down.  Upon opening the door I was hit with an
overwhelming odor of smoked marijuana.  Instead of setting the joint down Holder brought
it to his mouth and deposited the joint inside of it.  Holder leaned forward in his seat
and I could see him attempting to swallow.
At that point I told Holder that possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor crime.  I then
told him that if he swallowed the joint he put in his month he will be tampering with
evidence which is a felony and that I would charge him with the felony if he choose to
swallow it.  I asked if understood this and he nodded affirmatively.  I then ordered him
to open his mouth.  Holder not only complied but also tilted his head back and I could not
see the marijuana joint stuck to the roof of his mouth.  I again instructed Holder to
spit the marijuana joint out.  Again he did not comply.  He again leaned forward swallowed
and said he did not know what I was talking about as there was nothing in his mouth.  I
again ordered him to open his mouth and saw that although there were a few small specks of
suspected marijuana inside of it there was no longer a marijuana joint.  I told Holder he
was under arrest for tampering with evidence.
Based on the observation of the joint and smell of marijuana the other occupants were
removed and searched.  The driver was identified as Dithmar Bulla III, DOB:  11/25/90.  It
should be noted that as I dealt with Holder I heard Bulla state he was just on break from
working smoking marijuana and that he did not want to get in trouble.





















Between Bulla and Holder the vehicle has cup holders.  Just to the rear of these cup










holders I observed a small amount of suspected marijuana inside an empty cigarette package










wrapper.  Additionally, inside the center console of the vehicle I found a sandwich bag










with more suspected marijuana and a glass pipe with marijuana residue.  Post Miranda Bulla










denied all knowledge of the items found in the vehicle.  However, based on the strong










odor of marijuana in the vehicle, the fact he mentioned they were smoking marijuana and
his proximity to the items found he and Holder were charged with possession of marijuana










under 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia.  I had not read Holder his Miranda










rights but he uttered nothing in the vehicle belonged to him also denying knowledge of the










marijuana which was in plain view or the marijuana in the center console or the pipe.










						
The rear passenger side subject was identified as Tavaris D Williams, DOB:  10-02-85. A










search of Willliams turned up a plastic cigar tube.  This tube was found by Officer










Gualtieri in his front right pants pocket.  This container contained the ends of numerous










smoked marijuana joints.  Williams was also charged with possession of marijuana under 20










grams and possession of drug paraphernalia.










						
The last passenger seated in the driver`s side rear seat was identified as Franklin Ardin,










DOB:  12-03-86.  A search of Ardin turned up no other contraband and no contraband was










found in the area he was seated.  He was released from the scene.  At the request of










Bulla, Ardin was given the vehicle`s keys by Bulla and asked to take the vehicle.










						
Holder, Williams and Bulla were transported to the Boca Raton Police Services Department










holding facility for processing.  Bulla and Williams were released O.R. and Holder was TOT










County Jail.




















The residue inside the glass pipe was field tested with positive results for the presence










of marijuana.  It was placed into evidence.  The suspected marijuana found between Holder










and Bulla was weighed, with packaging and found to be 4.3 grams.  It was field tested with










positive results for the presence of marijuana.  It was placed into evidence.  The










marijuana found in Harden`s cigar tube was field tested with positive results for the










presence of marijuana.  It was weighed with the tube and found to be 8.7 grams.  This










marijuana and tube were placed into evidence.

 

 

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