ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. — A former St. Johns County Sheriff was pulled over and police found marijuana in the car. He was let off with only a warning.
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According to a St. Augustine Beach Police report, there was a strong smell of marijuana coming from inside David Shoar’s car.
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Shoar has a long history in law enforcement, most recently as Sheriff of St. Johns County for 16 years.
Last week, his name popped up in a St. Augustine Beach Police report.
He was pulled over at the intersection of Pope Road and A1A after running a red light. But according to the report, the officer “smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle” and later noticed “pieces of marijuana on the center console.”
Police say Shoar “had a medical marijuana card, however, the marijuana was not in its original packaging and had been used inside the vehicle.”
Yet, he was let off with a verbal warning.
“It involves officer discretion, but again, if you have a marijuana card -- it does not give you a pass to be smoking while driving a car,” Action News Jax law and safety expert, Dale Carson said.
Carson is a former police officer and now a criminal defense attorney. Under Florida law, it is illegal to have weed out its original container in your car.
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Carson said typically under these circumstances -- you would be investigated for impairment.
In a statement, the St. Augustine Beach Police Department said officers investigated and interviewed Shoar, but “no driver impairment was detected during the investigation.”
It went on to say, “...officers conducted a thorough investigation adhering to agency policy and standard operating procedures.”
Asked if this means anyone driving with marijuana outside its packaging would not be charged as long as they didn’t show signs of impairment, the department had yet to answer back.
“Mostly, you’re looking for an automobile that drives improperly on the road and endangers other drivers, Carson said. “Those are signs of impairment that require more action by the officer.”
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Action News Jax went to Shaor’s home to ask the former sheriff if he would’ve handled this traffic stop the same way himself but a woman who answered the door said he had no comment.
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