At 4:40 pm, on February 22, Trooper J. Wiersma was on routine patrol traveling northbound Route 5, south of Bryantown Road. He observed the driver of a maroon Toyota Camry, not wearing a seat belt.
Trooper Wiersma initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver was identified by his driver’s license as Jonathan A. Thompson, 21, of Waldorf. The driver and both of his passengers appeared to be nervous. The driver was issued a citation which he acknowledged and signed.
Trooper Wiersma then asked the driver for consent to search the vehicle. The driver agreeded. While the driver was signing the form Consent to Search and Seizure, the right front passenger of the vehicle made a furtive movement to the center ash tray console grabbing an object. Trooper Wiersma had the passenger place his hands on the roof of the vehicle. In his left hand Trooper Wiersma discovered 1 partially burnt marijuana blunt.
The passenger was identified as Marsellis L. Ledwell, 18, of Waldorf. The second passenger was identified as Michael Andrew Mitchell, 21 of Waldorf. A search incident to arrest revealed one small plastic baggie containing trace amounts of marijuana which was located in the center ashtray console of the vehicle.
When asked who the CDS belonged to, all occupants of the vehicle denied knowledge of the CDS. All three occupants were arrested for possession of CDS/Marijuana and CDS/paraphernalia.