The Blotter is a look at some of the unusual things that happen on the crime beat in Bay County.
Public opinion polls show greater acceptance for marijuana legalization than ever, but police don’t enforce public opinion polls. Police enforce laws, and the law in Florida says it’s illegal to hold pot, even in your own home.
So, if you’re sitting around in your living room getting baked this evening and there’s a knock at the door, conventional wisdom says you should check to see who it is before inviting them to come on in.
That’s a lesson learned the hard way by one local man this week.
The cop at the door didn’t come to arrest the man for pot possession. He was only there as an escort to someone who needed to retrieve some property. He even hesitated the first time before 'not so Silent Bob' hollered from the couch to “come in.”
But when the invitation was repeated, the cop opened the door and stepped inside to find a man on the couch with a pipe and a lighter and a suspicious looking cigar box. What’s inside, the cop asked.
The man hesitated. “Marijuana,” he said.
Who does it belong to? It belonged to the MENSA candidate on the couch, who was arrested.