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Highlands Today

Obscured License Tag Yields Felony Pot Arrest

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: July 30, 2008

LAKE PLACID - An Orlando man and woman were free on bail Tuesday after being arrested on marijuana possession charges during a traffic stop at Stephen Drive and U.S. 27.

At 4:21 a.m. Saturday, sheriff's deputy Robinn Singles stopped a Chrysler sedan because a license frame was hiding the name of the state that issued the license tag, part of the printed information on the plate.

Singles issued a warning to the driver, a 21-year-old female, and asked permission to search her, the passenger, Henry Ivan Machado, 20, both of Orlando, and the car.

Under the passenger seat, Singles found a "Presidente Supermarket" shopping bag and pulled it out. He immediately began to smell the fresh aroma of marijuana.

When he opened the sack, he found a "brick" of pot wrapped in clear plastic, which later weighed at 220.6 grams or nearly a half a pound. In a storage tray under the car radio, Singles found a clear baggy or marijuana weighing 3.3 grams, the report stated.

The driver told Singles she had smoked marijuana earlier in the day and the small bag was hers, the report stated, but she denied knowing the brick was under the passenger seat.

Machado told Singles he had smoked marijuana "all day," and said the bag under the seat was his, his report stated. He told Singles the driver did not know about larger amount, according to the report.

Machado was charged with felony possession of marijuana greater than 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. The female was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Machado was free Tuesday on $1,500 bail and the female was free on $1,000 bail.

Joe Seelig can be reached at 863-386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com

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