Crime & Safety

Speeder with Two Wrong Plates Charged with Felony Marijuana Possession

The following information was provided by the Woonsocket Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.

Flying under the radar apparently wasn't a concern for a City man who passed a Woonsocket cruiser at high speed with the wrong plates on it and with more than 8 grams of marijuana in it.

When Officer Craig Thompson spotted the white 2005 Ford Expedition speeding north on Park Avenue and ran the front plate, learning it was expired and belonged to blue 1999 Kia, registered to a man with an outstanding warrant, and began following the truck, noticing the back plate was a different number. That plate belonged to a 2009 gray Audi. The officer, who noted in his report that this seemed strange, pulled the truck over near Bernon Street.

Thompson spoke with the driver, Emmanuel Hernandez, 21, of 146 Burrington St., who said he'd just bought the truck and was taking it home. Though he provided the bill of sale, it was past the date requiring him to register the vehicle properly, according to Thompson's report.

During Thompson's discussion with Hernandez, he noticed a strong odor of unburnt marijuana coming from the truck, according to the report. Thompson asked the driver for his license, and Hernandez said he didn't have a valid one. 

Thompson ordered him to get out of the vehicle. As the driver did, Thompson reported, the smell of marijuana grew stronger. A search of the vehicle revealed a clear plastic bag containing 8.25 ounces of marijuana.

Thompson arrested Hernandez, charging him with felony possession of marijuana, driving in possession of a controlled substance, driving an unregistered vehicle, and driving with a suspended license.



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