A speeding stop on a DeSoto County highway last week turned into far more than a ticket. According to the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Pandolfi pulled over a van traveling 75 mph in a 60-mph zone. As the deputy approached, an AR-15 was visible between the center console and the driver’s seat. The driver, Dewayne Rose, is a six-time convicted felon with a suspended license, which prohibits him from possessing firearms.
Corporal Santana and K9 Lucy were called in, and Lucy alerted on both the driver’s and passenger’s doors during a free-air sniff. A subsequent search turned up 77 grams of methamphetamine, a scale, a glass pipe, and 11 pounds of saw palmetto berries. Rose told deputies he had harvested the berries in Sarasota without a permit.
Saw palmetto berries are a legitimate Florida crop, harvested each fall for use in dietary supplements, but taking them from certain lands without authorization can carry its own penalties. Rose was booked into the DeSoto County Jail on charges including meth trafficking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
What surprises you more here: the drug charges or the berries? Let us know on our social pages.
