By Madeleine Marr
Miami Herald
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Narcotics detectives in West Central Florida, were busy on Wednesday morning.
According to a Facebook post from the Hernando County Sheriff’s office, two officers made not one, but two arrests in the same area.
The first bust happened at around 10:40 a.m. The release says two detectives who were conducting “proactive patrols” observed a man riding his bike down the center yellow line of California Street in Brooksville. Homes on this street run around $32,000, according to Realtor.com.
Because the individual was traveling on the center line, instead of the right side, deputies made a traffic stop.
The operator of the bicycle, later identified as Shane McKinney, raised suspicion because he was wearing a hoodie sweatshirt in 90-degree weather. The detectives say they immediately observed a glass smoking pipe protruding from the large center pocket of the hoodie.
A further search of the same pocket revealed a small plastic bag containing a powdery white substance, weighing in at 0.3 grams, as well as a plastic container containing a crystal-like substance, clocking in at 6.7 grams.
“Said substances field tested positive for the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine, respectively,” says a sheriff’s office post that added that the residue in the pipe also field tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.
McKinney 35, was placed under arrest and slapped with a slew of possession charges.
https://www.facebook.com/HernandoSheriff/posts/448175930668777
Before being hauled off in cuffs, the suspect asked cops to take his bike to his house nearby.
The detectives obliged, and this led to the second arrest of the day.
As the deputies proceeded up McKinney’s driveway, they spotted a car driven by someone who they had been looking for to serve an arrest warrant. They stopped Johnathan Griffin, who was also taken into custody after briefly trying to flee.
A search revealed a massive amount of drugs on the convicted felon, 31, including methamphetamine (93.1 grams), crack cocaine (11.8 grams) and fentanyl (54.6 grams); as well as two firearms and $17,516 in cash.
The 31-year-old was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and fentanyl; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of a controlled substance; as well as other offenses.
The post features a picture of all the evidence collected from both arrests.
“Great work,” wrote a social media user. “What started out as a simple traffic stop of a bicyclist for safety issue results in apprehension of two dangerous men.”
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